Even Mercedes' F1 Drivers Struggle To Pronounce The Name Of AMG's New V8 Coupe

• George Russell and Kimi Antonelli struggle to pronounce Mercedes-AMG’s German tongue-twister, Spezialanfertigung.
• Toto Wolff steps in to show the F1 drivers how it’s done, proving even elite racers can be humbled by the German language.
• All 30 examples of the ultra-exclusive V8 coupe are already spoken for despite its cumbersome name and presumably hefty price tag.

Even with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton switching to Ferrari, Mercedes still has some of the best drivers in Formula 1. However, apparently there’s one thing even George Russell and Kimi Antonelli struggle with: German compound words. Specifically, Spezialanfertigung. A video shared by Mercedes-AMG on social media shows the F1 drivers attempting to pronounce the name of Affalterbach’s wild new coupe.

Unsurprisingly, things don’t exactly go smoothly. The word is a bit of a tongue-twister for non-German speakers, and neither Russell nor Antonelli is actually German, so it’s not exactly their birth language. Thankfully, there’s someone who can help the Italian and British racing drivers. Mercedes-AMG F1 Team CEO and co-owner Toto Wolff eventually steps in to demonstrate how it’s supposed to sound, presumably wondering why Mercedes didn’t just give the car a name that’s significantly easier to pronounce.

And honestly, Spezialanfertigung doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. The German word translates roughly to “custom-made” or “bespoke,” which makes sense for a one-off or specially commissioned car. But if Mercedes wanted its F1 drivers to say the name without stumbling over it, there were surely easier options.

Mercedes Had Plenty Of Easier Names To Choose From

Black Series or CLE 63 would’ve made sense, as would Mythos, since the V8-powered coupe is the second model from Mercedes’ ultra-exclusive series, following the SL-based PureSpeed. All of these would’ve been considerably easier to say than Spezialanfertigung. But despite its cumbersome moniker and what must’ve been an exorbitant price tag, the production run is already booked, with all 30 units spoken for.

We certainly wouldn’t mind the name if we were in the position to buy the ultimate V8 coupe from Mercedes. Well, ultimate until the AMG GT Black Series returns for a new generation. Hopefully, it won’t get an overly complicated moniker.

Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung

Photo by: Mercedes-Benz

Leaning Into The Joke

The whole thing makes for a fun reminder that even professional racing drivers can get tripped up by the German language. Russell and Antonelli may have no trouble wrestling a Formula 1 car around a circuit at absurd speeds, but ask them to pronounce one very German word and suddenly Toto Wolff needs to become the team’s language coach.

We have to give Mercedes credit for leaning into the joke. Spezialanfertigung is a wonderfully German name for a bespoke AMG project, but it’s also the kind of word that makes you question your life choices when someone asks you to say it out loud. If even Russell and Antonelli need a little help from Toto Wolff, maybe Mercedes could have picked something a bit more driver-friendly.

Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung

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Source: Mercedes-Benz

Motor1's Take: It's kinda fitting for a ridiculously long German word being attached to an ultra-exclusive AMG. It sounds serious, expensive, and slightly intimidating before you even know what the car is. Still, Mythos, Black Series, or CLE 63 would have been much easier for the F1 drivers to pronounce and probably for the rest of us, too.

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