First Mercedes CLA 45 AMG Taxi Is Owned and Driven by a Woman. She’s in her late 40s and she’s hot. Yes, we are talking about the blond-haired female owner of the first Mercedes CLA 45 AMG taxi, who happens to live drive in Salzburg. We met her while being invited to Austria in order to review a pair of models coming from... BMW. It all started when we heard the unmistakable voice of an AMG while enjoying the afternoon in the city center. It had been a long day, turned extra tail-happy thanks to the thunderstorms in the area. To put it shortly, we were determined to sample the local Weissbier as a starter for the rest of the day. A sequence of short exhaust burbles emerged from a corner of the plaza where our table was located. One hour later, me and my colleague were occupying the back seat of this 360 horsepower cab. The thing was nicely configured, treating us with goodies such as a performance exhaust, carbon cabin trimming and a panoramic sunroof. All these had been chosen by Sabine, who had to wait eleven months for her AMG to be delivered. Sure, Sabine Schmitz is the queen of the Nurburgring, but our Sabine is cooler, as she represents the real world. Presently, she smiles as she takes us out of a narrow passage, heading for a boulevard. Before we know it, she engages “Sport” mode and pushes things past 5,000 rpm. The resulting AMG concert is a fitting aural treat for the City of Mozart. Sabine fell in love with cars when she was just a teenager and she started picking up the fruits of this passion when she turned 21 and became a taxi driver. One fare led to another and, back in 2003, she founded her own cab company, Cado Tours. In Salzburg, as in many other places in the world, the Mercedes E-Class is the normal way to go for a taxi driver. That’s how Sabine started too, but hers had an AMG exterior package. Her business is small, but it has motor love written all over it. She owns a trio of Ford Galaxy MPVs to cater to the needs of the many, but the CLA AMG is accompanied by two other special Mercedes vehicle. One is an E-Class (current generation, pre-facelift) with a striking two-tone paint job that mixes glossy black with a vivid shade of green. The other is a C-Class 220 CDI (W204) with a Carlsson ECU remap. The latter detail arrived as part of our conversation with Sabine, who giggled while letting it slip that one of her taxis has a “chip”. Returning to the CLA AMG, which is also her personal car (yes, there is a certain tax deduction here), we have to tell you she was previously a Porsche driver. This Austrian automotive aficionado used to see the world from behind the wheel of a 996 911 Carrera Cabriolet, a car she also used to help her son get his driver’s license. You can see the light in her eyes as she recalls the 3,000 km (1,850 miles) during which she assisted her son with driving the 911 - the Austrian law allows teenagers to start driving together with their parents as early as they reach an age of 15 and a half years, while they can receive the license at the age of 17. Among other, she used to teach her son drifting in empty parking lots - we can only immagine a mother that smiles at the sight of the first snow, knowing she would be training her child in the art of powersliding. Unsurprisingly, her son used to borrow the Porsche and make it “defekt” - Sabine’s pronunciation of the word almost makes us stiffen up, such is the emphasis she places on it. We asked her why she gave up her Porsche instead of just denying her son access to it. “I always shared my car with my son, it is very important to me,” Sabine said with a warm smile on her face. She is definitely a practical woman. Just as she likes to balance her own driving pleasure with her business, family always receives plenty of attention from her. And this is how we get to the other reason for which she got rid of the 911 - there was no room in the back for her daughter. By the way, having reached the minimum legal age, the girl has just started her driving lessons with her mum as you are reading this. So if you’re in Salzburg and you happen to see a Cirrus White CLA being manhandled by a teenage girl, smile and wave. Speaking of the color, Sabine wanted to go for Northern Lights Violet, the hue we had on our non-AMG CLA tester, but this couldn’t mix with the red seat belts that were a must for her. The CLA may work as a magnet for customers of other brands, but this was not the case with Sabine, as it’s clear that Merc has always had a special place within her heart. “I’m a Mercedes driver” - we must’ve heard this line about ten times during the time we spent together, so the fact that she went and ordered a CLA 45 AMG right after seeing one at an auto show is only normal. It’s clear that she has the three-pointed star within her heart. Source/more info: http://ift.tt/1sCbabZ
First Mercedes CLA 45 AMG Taxi Is Owned and Driven by a Woman
First Mercedes CLA 45 AMG Taxi Is Owned and Driven by a Woman. She’s in her late 40s and she’s hot. Yes, we are talking about the blond-haired female owner of the first Mercedes CLA 45 AMG taxi, who happens to live drive in Salzburg. We met her while being invited to Austria in order to review a pair of models coming from... BMW. It all started when we heard the unmistakable voice of an AMG while enjoying the afternoon in the city center. It had been a long day, turned extra tail-happy thanks to the thunderstorms in the area. To put it shortly, we were determined to sample the local Weissbier as a starter for the rest of the day. A sequence of short exhaust burbles emerged from a corner of the plaza where our table was located. One hour later, me and my colleague were occupying the back seat of this 360 horsepower cab. The thing was nicely configured, treating us with goodies such as a performance exhaust, carbon cabin trimming and a panoramic sunroof. All these had been chosen by Sabine, who had to wait eleven months for her AMG to be delivered. Sure, Sabine Schmitz is the queen of the Nurburgring, but our Sabine is cooler, as she represents the real world. Presently, she smiles as she takes us out of a narrow passage, heading for a boulevard. Before we know it, she engages “Sport” mode and pushes things past 5,000 rpm. The resulting AMG concert is a fitting aural treat for the City of Mozart. Sabine fell in love with cars when she was just a teenager and she started picking up the fruits of this passion when she turned 21 and became a taxi driver. One fare led to another and, back in 2003, she founded her own cab company, Cado Tours. In Salzburg, as in many other places in the world, the Mercedes E-Class is the normal way to go for a taxi driver. That’s how Sabine started too, but hers had an AMG exterior package. Her business is small, but it has motor love written all over it. She owns a trio of Ford Galaxy MPVs to cater to the needs of the many, but the CLA AMG is accompanied by two other special Mercedes vehicle. One is an E-Class (current generation, pre-facelift) with a striking two-tone paint job that mixes glossy black with a vivid shade of green. The other is a C-Class 220 CDI (W204) with a Carlsson ECU remap. The latter detail arrived as part of our conversation with Sabine, who giggled while letting it slip that one of her taxis has a “chip”. Returning to the CLA AMG, which is also her personal car (yes, there is a certain tax deduction here), we have to tell you she was previously a Porsche driver. This Austrian automotive aficionado used to see the world from behind the wheel of a 996 911 Carrera Cabriolet, a car she also used to help her son get his driver’s license. You can see the light in her eyes as she recalls the 3,000 km (1,850 miles) during which she assisted her son with driving the 911 - the Austrian law allows teenagers to start driving together with their parents as early as they reach an age of 15 and a half years, while they can receive the license at the age of 17. Among other, she used to teach her son drifting in empty parking lots - we can only immagine a mother that smiles at the sight of the first snow, knowing she would be training her child in the art of powersliding. Unsurprisingly, her son used to borrow the Porsche and make it “defekt” - Sabine’s pronunciation of the word almost makes us stiffen up, such is the emphasis she places on it. We asked her why she gave up her Porsche instead of just denying her son access to it. “I always shared my car with my son, it is very important to me,” Sabine said with a warm smile on her face. She is definitely a practical woman. Just as she likes to balance her own driving pleasure with her business, family always receives plenty of attention from her. And this is how we get to the other reason for which she got rid of the 911 - there was no room in the back for her daughter. By the way, having reached the minimum legal age, the girl has just started her driving lessons with her mum as you are reading this. So if you’re in Salzburg and you happen to see a Cirrus White CLA being manhandled by a teenage girl, smile and wave. Speaking of the color, Sabine wanted to go for Northern Lights Violet, the hue we had on our non-AMG CLA tester, but this couldn’t mix with the red seat belts that were a must for her. The CLA may work as a magnet for customers of other brands, but this was not the case with Sabine, as it’s clear that Merc has always had a special place within her heart. “I’m a Mercedes driver” - we must’ve heard this line about ten times during the time we spent together, so the fact that she went and ordered a CLA 45 AMG right after seeing one at an auto show is only normal. It’s clear that she has the three-pointed star within her heart. Source/more info: http://ift.tt/1sCbabZ