Tom Suddard
Tom Suddard GRM+ Memberand Digital Experience Director
1/5/18 10:14 a.m.
feature_image

Turn One: We Carried a Priceless AMG Factory Race Car on Our Ramp Truck

Our project 1973 Ford ramp truck carried the No. 33 Mercedes-AMG GT3 factory race car to the 2018 Roar Before the Rolex 24. Ever seen a cooler mismatch?



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Ed Higginbotham
Ed Higginbotham Associate Editor
1/5/18 10:30 a.m.

Interesting news items. We should start making a newspaper or a magazine or something.

Tom Suddard
Tom Suddard GRM+ Memberand Digital Experience Director
1/5/18 10:31 a.m.

Hmmmmm. Tempting, but everything is digital these days. How about a website, that way we could post more often.

dean1484
dean1484 GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
1/5/18 11:12 a.m.

Priceless????   Weren’t we told Wednesday night that you can just go on line and order a virtually race ready car Just like that from AMG?  

Marjorie Suddard
Marjorie Suddard General Manager
1/5/18 11:17 a.m.

In reply to dean1484 :

We play by “Masterpiece” game rules: Once values top the half-million mark, we consider it priceless. :D

Margie

bmw88rider
bmw88rider GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
1/5/18 12:18 p.m.

That's what I like about Ben Keating and Bill Riley. I don't think you'd see too many teams in the IMSA Paddock that would do that. The funny/cool factor is off the charts for that move. 

 

dean1484
dean1484 GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
1/5/18 3:11 p.m.

In reply to Marjorie Suddard :

The really weird/funny part is I was looking more at the GRM Ford than the AMG in the photos. Now that  thing is priceless. smiley yes

dean1484
dean1484 GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
1/5/18 3:17 p.m.
bmw88rider said:

That's what I like about Ben Keating and Bill Riley. I don't think you'd see too many teams in the IMSA Paddock that would do that. The funny/cool factor is off the charts for that move. 

 

Between that and Wednesday nights broadcast. I think it said a lot about Ben and Bill but it also I think says even more about GRM. I can not believe how lucky we were to get to be part of Wednesday nights show and tell in the GRM Garage. I mean you would never get that opportunity. It was so cool I am still floored that happened.  

wannacruise
wannacruise New Reader
1/5/18 3:54 p.m.

 

You obviously didn't tear anything off the bottom of it so that is cool.  How much insurance did they make you buy before they agreed.  It is cool, watching the ramp truck go down the highway with the AMG on it made me think of Lighting McQueen in the movie 'Cars' and old Doc who finally led him back to the track.     

JG Pasterjak
JG Pasterjak Production/Art Director
1/5/18 4:27 p.m.
wannacruise said:

 

You obviously didn't tear anything off the bottom of it so that is cool.  How much insurance did they make you buy before they agreed.  It is cool, watching the ramp truck go down the highway with the AMG on it made me think of Lighting McQueen in the movie 'Cars' and old Doc who finally led him back to the track.     

The only "major" surgery required in the whole operation was a little grinding on the ramps to allow them to be set a bit wider. There was judicious use of 2 x 4s, and if you watch the live feed you can hear the radial saw fire up a few times to make a few custom spacers, but overall it was a fairly smooth load.

As for insurance, it never came up. Probably because by the time the plan finally got all the way to the top at AMG we were already live :)

 

bmw88rider
bmw88rider GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
1/5/18 7:43 p.m.

I've met Ben many times over the years being he is a local guy. I've worked his races since he was running 2011.

Just prior to the last IMSA race in the Viper at COTA, I got a chance to crawl all through this bad boy. Great experience from a class act team. 

te72
te72 New Reader
1/6/18 11:09 p.m.

That's awesome. I'm in the same boat with some of the others though, the truck is of more interest to me, as I have a race car, but I have to drive it to events. Not that I mind, of course, I build cars to drive, not to drag around haha.

 

Really liking the Mercedes though, so much 300SL in those lines...

wheelsmithy
wheelsmithy GRM+ Memberand Dork
1/7/18 10:27 a.m.

That thing is HUGE!

 

AaronBalto
AaronBalto Reader
1/7/18 8:34 p.m.

What's the music in that video? Generika? Püblik Domain? 

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