Bart Hickey, like every other enthusiast, loved cars as he was growing up as a child. So passionate about cars, he knew he wanted to become a mechanic. Owner of Bart’s Automotive and Towing, Bart has spent his life working in and around cars. Despite being around cars all the time, Bart could never drive one, for being visually challenged since birth. His son, Brendan Hickey too, is an automotive enthusiast and has always wanted to fulfil his dad’s dream of being behind the wheel, feel the acceleration and be in charge of the pedal. For him, there could not be a better gift to give to his father than a chance behind the wheel of a car.
The folks at Mercedes Benz were kind enough to team up with Brendan to give his father this chance of a lifetime. Mercedes not only sent out a lot of love to this father-son duo but also an AMG GTR sports car, to let this blind mechanic fulfil his dream. In the video, you can see how happy Bart is when he reads the Braille written letter sent by Mercedes Benz. The father-son duo is taken to Alvord lake, where the flatlands would let Bart go as fast as he wishes, under professional supervision.
Bart is made to sit in the car and walked through the essentials like the position of the paddle shifters. Then they buckle up, starting slowly. Once given the go, Bart starts accelerating, going above speeds of 200 kmph, smiling ear to ear as he listens to the AMG GTR growl in the background. This indeed is a very special gift, given to a dad, by his son.
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Coming to the car featured in this video – the AMG GTR. The top of the line model in the AMG GT family, the AMG GTR uses a 4-litre, twin-turbo V8 engine, generating 577 hp and 700 Nm. Thanks to its 4 wheel steering and trick aerodynamic features, the AMG GTR can go very fast around a circuit. In fact, this car also held the fastest lap record at our very own race track, BIC before the Porsche GT3 took away the title. The AMG GTR retails for an ex-showroom price of INR 2.23 Crore in the Indian market.