Despite having won the horsepower wars long ago, Mercedes-Benz had debuted yet another monstrously powerful car. To create the SL65 AMG Black Series, it has increased the output of its twin turbo 6.0-V12 from 612 horsepower to 650, thanks to larger turbochargers and improved intercooling. The torque figure remains unchanged at 737 lb-ft, but that’s because the 5-speed automatic transmission can handle no more, otherwise the engine could crank out 884 lb-ft. Via. GizmoAve.com
More impressive than the engine upgrade is the work AMG’s performance studio did on SL65’s chassis. By replacing the folding steel roof with a fixed carbon-fiber one, engineers shed a significant amount of weight, lowered the car’s center of gravity and stiffened its structure. Though the extensive use of carbon fiber (front fenders, hood, deck lid) and by jettisoning such items as the active suspension, 550 pounds were removed from the standard SL65.
AMG then added a race-ready, fully adjustable coil-over suspension setup that extends the track by a whopping four inches (those fender flares aren’t just for show. Bigger 9.5 x 19 and 11.5 x 20 inforged alloy wheels are wrapped in larger 265/35ZR19 and 325/30ZR20 tires, but the 15.4 and 14.2 inch brake are unchanged.
The aggressive front spoiler and vented hood and fenders work in conjunction with a rear wing (it rises at 74 mph) and diffuse to generate 110 pounds of downforce at 124 mph. Top speed is governed at 198 mph, but given the Black Series’ high 0.37 coefficient of drag (versus 0.31 for the standard car) we doubt it could go much faster than that.
Two hundred of 350 production units are earmarked for the American market. The Euro race seats don’t have integrated side airbags, so don’t expect to see them in U.S. The price tag is around $300,000 U.S. but that’s a bargain compared to SLR’s $500,000.
