03/02/2004 The New ContiSportContact 2 Vmax - High-Tech Tyre for Avid Enthusiasts of Sporty Driving

(Hannover / Geneva, March 2004) With the new ContiSportContact 2 Vmax Continental is offering the first road tyre approved for speeds of up to 360 km/h. The new high-tech sport tyre has been designed specifically for ultra-fast high-end customized sport cars. Four tyre sizes are already available in early 2004.

Here you can download the press release as a rtf-file (117 KB).

Download or order of a ContiSportContact 2 Vmax picture is possible here.

Modern sport cars have nosed their way into speed ranges previously the sacrosanct domain of Formula 1 vehicles. Exclusive models from top tuners as well as from Porsche, Ferrari and the like can achieve speeds of up to 350 km/h. Continental had just this vehicle group in mind in developing the new ContiSportContact 2 Vmax,.

The point of departure for the new super sport tyre is the successful ContiSportContact 2, itself approved for a top speed of 330 km/h. The advance development of the ContiSportContact 2 gives the new model decidedly more in the way of high-speed properties. For example, tread grooves have been added to optimally cool the tyre, even at high speeds. Handling also profits from a tread depth of 6.3 to 7 millimetres, held somewhat lower than for the base model. And to ensure steadfast properties on wet roads, the proportion of sea in the tread pattern was increased. These aspects endow the new, asymmetrical ContiSportContact 2 Vmax with a much different appearance than the "normal" ContiSportContact 2.

The ContiSportContact 2 Vmax is the first road tyre anywhere in the world approved for speeds of up to 360 km/h. This is indicated on the sidewall of the new super athlete from Hannover by a "Vmax" after the familiar  ContiSportContact 2 logo. With the speed scale for tyres currently ending at "Y" (approved for speeds of up to 300 km/h), the classic "ZR" (approved for speeds in excess of 240 km/h) has been given as service description for the new high-end sport tyre.

The ContiSportContact 2 Vmax is available as of the spring of 2004. The following tyre sizes are in preparation:

For the Mercedes E Class, the BMW 5 series and customised vehicles:

• 245/35 ZR 19 XL
• 275/30 ZR 19 XL

For Porsche and customised vehicles:

• 235/35 ZR 19 XL
• 315/25 ZR 19

The Continental Corporation is a leading supplier of tyres, braking systems, chassis components and technical elastomers. In 2002 the company realized sales of EUR 11.4 billion and is currently operating with a workforce of around 69,000 worldwide.

The Tyre division is an official partner of the 2006 FIFA WM GermanyTM. Further information in this regard is available under www.conti-online.com and under www.contifanworld.com.