Live updates: Follow the latest on the 2024 Abu Dhabi F1
Germany luxury car tailor HOF (formerly Hofele) on Wednesday unveiled the world's fastest G-Class – the HOF Sir Class – on Yas Island ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Packing 1,063 horsepower, the super-SUV is the first G-Class capable of exceeding 300kph, a power output comparable to a Mercedes-Benz Formula One car. The HOF Sir Class has 1,300 Newton metres of torque – compared to a standard SUV's range of 300-600Nm – and is based on the Mercedes-AMG G 63.
Just 11 units of the vehicle are available, with a base prize of €650,000 or Dh2.5 million – on-order only for interested UAE buyers.
“Our engineers needed to constantly push the limits to reach our 300kph+ mission,” said Ferdinand Peter, owner of HOF. The car has taken two years to make, with engineers and designers collaborating to devise the powerful engine.
“This is not only about tuning an engine – the entire set-up of the car including suspension and brakes needed to be heavily modified and improved,” Peter explained.
Mercedes-Benz has been involved in Formula One as both a team owner and engine manufacturer since 1954, and the new Sir Class is inspired by this legacy. Its launch coincides with driver Lewis Hamilton's final race with Mercedes this weekend. Hamilton has won six of his seven Formula One titles with Mercedes.
“Its design pays homage to Hamilton’s iconic career, incorporating elements that echo the cutting-edge innovation of F1: carbon-fibre components inspired by Formula One technology, ceramic-coated tailpipes, and an exclusive F1-style paint finish,” said Etienne Salome, who leads HOF's design department.
The striking exterior, with a fade-effect paint finish and tiffany green accents (an official Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team colour), is complemented by sleek details inside, dominated by handcrafted nappa leather.
The new Sir Class is designed for collectors and enthusiasts of high-performance vehicles, said Peter, adding: “This car is not just a tribute to the past, but also an investment in the future. Even 20 years from now, a collector will still value this vehicle.”
The car will be showcased on the Yas Marina track from Thursday to Sunday, as part of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
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Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.
Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.
After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.
Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.
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The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895.
The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info
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Forwards: Olmo (RB Leipzig), Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Morata (Juventus), Moreno (Villarreal), F Torres (Manchester City), Traore (Wolves), Sarabia (PSG)
