Mercedes-Benz A-Class (W168) A 190 Twin Study AMG 1998

[karelpipa]

Powered by two A190 125 HP engines one in front, second in the back, giving it a 250 HP and 225 Km/h top speed.

 

[JKgo]

...Voted, thanks to a smiling thumbs-up Mikka.

But that thread title needs a slight adjustment. Not a big one, just a little change will suffice.

 

[Matej]

Is this an official product built by AMG or an exclusive product from some private workshop?

Nevertheless, it is a great idea, placing another engine in the back would help the car to become more friendlier and fun on corners (the one we have in the game is bad).

 

[karelpipa]

Should be an official AMG product and given that even Mika was photographed with it points to that its AMG official.

But i dont know number of cars built.

 

[Matej]

Should be an official AMG product and given that even Mika was photographed with it points to that its AMG official.

But i dont know number of cars built.

We are going to find that out in a minute. I have found some interesting posts regarding the car. The following statements briefly refer to the car's important points. @karelpipa can decide which one to put in the OP.

Mercedes may have tweaked the suspension and fitted stability control as standard but the clever sandwich floor would always ensure a high centre of gravity. To combat this, track widths were increased at both ends and the suspension lowered. Attractive 18 inch 5 spoke wheels sat under subtle wheelarch extensions while braking up front was dealt with by discs and callipers from the E55 super saloon

The A38 would actually drive on the front engine only with the second being kicked into life with a switch oddly by the electric window controls. A fly by wire throttle and automated clutches made the engineers lives easier although having both gearboxes cable operated from one gearstick may have been a bit of a nightmare. Once both engines were running, performance was actually pretty rapid with 60 being dispatched in 5.7 seconds, not far off a Ferrari F355. The van like shape meant top speed was not quite as impressive at 143 mph.

Driving impressions for the A38 are unsurprisingly scarce considering only 4 were allegedly built. 1998 F1 world champion Mika Häkkinen comes to the rescue here having been interviewed driving his new company car by a German magazine. Assuming he wasn't just being polite, Mika reckoned the car felt screwed together like a Mercedes should keeping all of the luxuries you'd expect. The steering was said to be direct with seemingly some feel although ride quality suffering from the uprated suspension.

Even with all the extra effort, you still can't change the laws of physics. You'll notice precisely no photos of the A38 sideways because like the standard car, it had to have stability control that you couldn't turn off. You get the distinct feeling that the extra grip of those wide tyres might be enough to overcome the 10mm lower stance and widened track should an elk wander into your path.

Full article can be found here.

Also, this and this sites also discuss the car, mentioning pretty much the same thing.

And that is not everything this W168 class can offer. In worst case, Polyphony should replace the current A160 with A210 Evolution model. That car had AMG trim level, 140 hp engine and the most important thing - optional red strip on the side panel of the car. Make your choice.

 

[Famine]

Should be an official AMG product and given that even Mika was photographed with it points to that its AMG official.

But i dont know number of cars built.

Looks like @Matej has done the research you should have done before making the thread for you.

So now all that's left is to get the title right - and at the moment it looks like the only thing correct in the title is the word "Mercedes", but even that's incomplete. I'm not even convinced about the year...

 

[Mahen N]

The absurdity of this car is worth a vote given the early history of the 1st gen A-Class.

 

[karelpipa]

http://jalopnik.com/when-mercedes-built-the-most-practical-and-boring-twi-1764285136

The resulting concept, the A 190 Twin Study was presented ..... in the Mercedes-Benz Museum in November, 1998, with all-wheel drive thanks to the additional engine at the back, a combined output of 250 horsepower and a zero-to-sixty time of 5.7 seconds.