2010 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series

Performance, thy name is Black Series.

BY ALISA PRIDDLE, PHOTOGRAPHY BY CARPIX
April 2008

Now this is a car we’re excited to see lapping the Nürburgring: the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series, in advance of its planned debut this summer and it going on sale in the fall.

This is a fixed-hardtop version of the SL. By ditching the mechanicals for the folding hardtop and with liberal use of carbon fiber for the body, it weighs in 570 pounds lighter. The heavy electro-hydraulic Active Body Control suspension is replaced with an adjustable coil spring suspension.

And, as the 65 in the name denotes, stuffed under the hood will be a V-12, in this case a high-performance version of AMG’s 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-12 that Mercedes says will launch the car to 60 mph in under four seconds. We’re downright giddy in anticipation of 670 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. With the weight loss, it translates to a 6.1 pounds per horsepower ratio.

The new SL65 Black Series adds a lot of beef to the look, especially with the muscular rear wheel arches to accommodate larger wheels and a wider body. The tape across the side suggests no loss of definition here, and the doors are exposed because they are among the few large body panels still fashioned of steel, rather than carbon fiber. The retractable spoiler generates up to 77 pounds of downforce at higher speeds.

Mercedes introduced the first Black Series as a special edition of the special-edition CLK63 last summer—showing no end to the Teutonic automaker’s imagination when it comes to splitting performance hairs to appease enthusiasts.

The CLK63 AMG Black Series was said to be patterned on the CLK63 that was used as a safety car at Formula 1 races. The pattern appears to be intact, as Mercedes recently took an SL63 AMG with its 518-hp, 6.2-liter V-8, and modified it to serve as the Formula 1 safety car this season. AMG cut 485 pounds from the stock SL63 AMG for the job: from 4400 pounds to just over 3900—or roughly the weight loss we expect for the SL65 Black Series.

All of this begs the question as to where the current SLR McLaren fits in the lineup vis-à-vis the Black Series. The SL63 safety car already has dropped down to the same weight class as the SLR which relies on an expensive carbon-fiber monococque body. And the Black Series should be hundreds of thousands less than the half-million-dollar SLR.

While there has been some confusion out there, this car is the Black Series and NOT the equally anticipated Mercedes SLC, although the two likely share parts. The SLC is the bespoke supercar that AMG still appears to be building from scratch after a falling-out with McLaren. The SLC reportedly will debut next year at the 2009 Geneva auto show, and has been spotted testing under the disguise of Dodge Viper body. It is expected to use a new hi-po, turbocharged version of the automaker’s 6.2-liter V-8.

McLaren supposedly continues work on its own mid-engined supercar, amid reports the project is more upscale, a sequel to the F1, as opposed to the smaller and more affordable SLR successor that was originally envisioned when SLR and Mercedes planned to partner. But that went sour in the wake of a quality meltdown and financial down-spiral at Mercedes in 2004 that forced a halt to the program, as well as acrimony amid suggestions the SLR did not meet expectations.

As for the SL65 Black Series, only 350 will be built and they could for a cool $250,000 each. As long as a couple of them make it into the press fleet, we can live vicariously, even if we can’t afford one of our own.