Wednesday March 3rd, 2004

Mercedes-Benz have announced that their new SLK 55 AMG car will become this season's official Formula One safety car.

The eight-cylinder roadster will be celebrating its circuit debut at the season opening Grand Prix in Melbourne, Australia, next weekend. 34-year old German Bernd Maylander, who has been the safety car driver since the 2000 season, again will be behind the wheel of the car.

Professor Sid Watkins, the Grand Prix chief medical officer, will also be using the AMG V8 as medical car.

The SLK 55 AMG required several modifications for the role, and it was trimmed by nearly 100 kilograms in contrast to the series-production vehicle. The 5.5-litre V8 engine from AMG delivers 360HP and accelerates the silver two-seater from 0 to 100 km/h in under five seconds.

Published at 18:11:05 GMT

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