July10
Here it is — the interim heir to the Mercedes-Benz SLR’s throne. With the McLaren-Mercedes supercar heading out of production, Daimler is rolling out the most powerful and sporty SL ever — the SL 65 AMG Black Series. It will be the most hardcore ‘Benz on the market until the eventual arrival of the SLC über coupe.
As with previous Black Series offerings from Mercedes-Benz, the SL65 AMG Black Series promises supercar performance, thanks to large quantities of power and a lighter curb weight.
Mercedes engineers were able to wring out an extra 57 horsepower from the car’s twin-turbo 6.0L V12 — bringing total output to a monstrous 661 horsepower (20 more than the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition). But despite the bump in horsepower, the engine’s torque rating remains the same at 738 lb-ft.
Power is sent through Mercedes’ five-speed automatic, which is able to shift in as little as 250 milliseconds. As with the car’s suspension, the automatic transmission has two different sport settings.
The SL also went on a hefty diet to become the SL65 AMG Black Series. Through the extensive use of carbon fiber in the car’s front fenders, hood and new fixed roof, the SL shed about 570 pounds — bringing its curb weight down to a still rather portly 4,080 pounds. Of note, the decision to make the roof a fixed unit wasn’t strictly a weight-saving measure — it simply wouldn’t fit in its retracted position because of the car’s steamroller rear tires.
To round out the performance package, Mercedes also equipped the SL Black Series with a new adjustable suspension, a wider track, larger brakes, a deployable rear spoiler and a lower hood.
Inside the SL Black Series, the car features carbon fiber shell racing seats, a flat bottom steering wheel and plenty of Alcantara. However, the carbon fiber seats won’t make it to the U.S. as they do not have side airbags.
The SL65 AMG Black Series is expected to hit the U.S. market next year — in white, black, red and silver — with a price tag north of $300,000.
Mercedes-Benz. The Rice Series.
Sexyness.
holy ****. that is a beast.
Holy crap is that sweet. By far one of my most favorite Mercedes… 661hp Jesus Christ… 300K? I can’t wait to see the performance ratings on this…
=====>>That car is almost indescribable. Totally sexy. I can’t wait to see the specs & for Jeremy Clarkson to drive this beast!
ive never liked the SL-class…until this. But this is the only model of the SL that i do like.
That is a slick spoiler.
look at those back tires!!!
The performance boost & weight savings is nice. But the ****ing car looks like it was handed over to a 15 year old for exterior design. This is EXACTLY what I would have done to an SL, if I was a 15 year old ricer. Even the rims… it is so un-Benz.
A mighty roaring beast of a car, that is. That’s a wow. Ridiculous price tag though, and for that price, buyers will want a color choice greater than 4.
:0 Wicked/Bad@ss
I hear this will only come in limited numbers so
they will sellout more quickly than SLR model.
ok since this is my fourth comment i think im just creamin my pants over this vehicle.
Not a mercedes fan but i gotta admit that sucker looks pretty nice.
661 HP and 738 lbs/ft of torque!!!!!! Are you kidding me? Jeeze….this thing would be a blast to drive. Any gear, any speed, you put your foot down and ………Kaboom, you are in another dimension.
As far as the “rice” styling. I don’t mind because it is functional. If it had massive scoops and wings and ground effects and no functional purpose it would be a different story. But, this is more than a posuer honda with a fart can exhaust.
I have a new favorite Mercedes, that thing is sick and “Badass Z51″ this thing is nothing near a ricer…..But north of 300K, wow, thats pretty pricey, this thing better be fast as lightning.
=====>>would be SUPER FUNNY if MB tacked on that stupid 155mph cap…..you would top out from a standstill in like..3seconds! lol…
^^^^^ lol ,And possibly the biggest prank in automotive history.
Whoa, what a f***ing monster!
Two words: Wow!
Looks like an old IMSA racer from the late 70’s early 80’s. But, I’m sure it’s performance is top-notch and for 300k it had better be. I’ll take an R8 and Quattroporte instead, thanks.
I say **** side airbags, bring it with carbon-fiber seats!
Sweet Merc.
I wish you people would SHUT UP about that Mercedes is going Ricer and bad mouthing companies becuase they design a new exterior and modify the engine to their liking. If you haven’t noticed this is where the money is.
If it’s not your Vette ZR1 one, any other car is carp in your eyes, well news flash ZR1 will be outdoneand outclassed with in a years time.
I think Mercedes out did themselves on the car, it’s gourgous. Sure there are other cars that are better looking and probably faster, who cares least they dared to do something diffrent and create a car that might just be better than the SLR, which mind you is finished and obsolute.
this thing makes me want to have GT5 out right now so i can drive it, sort of…
give it a matte black paint job and batman would be dying to drive it haha
****, use this car for a new Knight Rider TV show.
The latest SL facelift looks very nice, and this car does, too. Beefy. Like the AMG CLK Clarkson drove recently on TG. I am not a Benz fan (I’m more into the minor players in the luxury echelon like Jaguar, Maser, Alfa, and Saab), but this looks excellent.
Now it’s BMW’s turn to turn it up a notch.
beautiful. a lot of performance for the 300k, even more than the LP640. i wonder how many HP the SLC will have?
Holy ****. I don’t curse but that was the first thing that came to mind. There are a few problems with this car. 1) I’m too poor
2) Every time i would step near it I would cream my pants
3) I might not be able to handle it with that level of performance
4) The thought of crashing it would lead to suicide not only because of the shame and disgrace, but other people who wold kill me for it
If this car lives up to its styling, like the CLK Black has, then this is the ride for all high class villains
I wonder why it only has a ****ty 5spd tranny ?
Kanucko, probably because it will be in 5th the whole time
======>>kanucko, no duuuhhh… a 6,7, or 8spd transmission would have smaller cogs n therefore wouldn’t even be close to strong enough to handle the atomic power of that car. A 6,7, or 8spd tranny would mean way lower gear ratios which translates simply into wheelspin galore with this kind of torque & power. 5 speed is perfect.
Daaamn…but $300,000+? I think not.
Attention. Calling all rappers…
To all the angry Mercedes fanboys defending this car: Shut your f.ucking mouth and admit that it looks rice. If the same wing, flared out wheel arches and rims were put on a modified Civic, you would gladly call it rice. Fact is, this car is extremely ugly. The original SL designer, I am sure, is cringing at this garbage of a design. Standard SL = Work of art. Black Edition = Design disaster.
Wow, I can’t belive MB had the guts to do this!
It’s very rare to see a car that will make most men behave la 12 year old kids again: “Wow, OMG, look at those tires!” Good job MB!
As for people calling it rice, they should check the definition of “rice” before making any quick judgments!
This might “look rice”, but it has something that no ricer has: power!
Speaking of power, the main reason for using the 5speed tranny is that Mercedes doesn’t have any other transmission that can handle the huge torque of the twin turbo V12!
It’s actually quite jaw-dropping.
Impressive bhp too.
It’s like an assassin; menacing, calm and lethal. I just love the Black Series, it bolsters my belief that Germans can be nutty.
That is a sick machine, for sure. But $300k? There are a bunch of other sicker machines I would rather own for that kind of dough.
I guess this car is for no one else but hard core wealthy Benz fans.
Z06ified: I think it’ll be rarer than any exotic and just as capable. I wonder how big its gas tank is?
This is one hot looking torpedo! I like the new nose job and those massive wheels and that perfect looking suspension (not too much not too little!) This car looks like a serious luxury thrill ride.
Finally Merc/AMG give us something to really think about, its been a long wait.
Are mother****ers joking? I hate SL’s I think they should only be driven by housewifes and dudes under 5′9″ but this car is nasty. For you dumbasses saying it looks rice your crazy. all the exterior modifications were made for performance. And the spoiler is retractable, and for use during high speeds, you wont see anyone driving down the street with the spoiler out unless they’re a d-bag. If you saw the spoiler that is deployed on the porsche 911 at 60 mph you dumbasses might say that looks “rice” too…
sweet god!! If I had $300k to spend it would be a hard choice between this beautiful monster and a house. I think I would rather live inside this beast.
so whats the mpg on this thing ? i didnt see any information on it……….. oh and high gas prices
that is all
=========>>”If you saw the spoiler that is deployed on the porsche 911 at 60 mph you dumbasses might say that looks “rice” too…” LOL whips001 that was a good one lol
Look at the stance on this monster! Thank you Germany! Worlds better looking than the SLR…which is to say the SLR’s nose is laughably long and goofy, and Paris Hilton owns one, which completely ruins it. Secondly, this thing looks like a damn DTM car, and that’s plain badass!
power!!!!!
“Z06ified: I think it’ll be rarer than any exotic and just as capable”
It’ll be rare, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s a good thing. Cars that are way over priced and not competitive can be rare. ANY exotic? It won’t be as rare as a Saleen S7, or a Koenigsegg, for example. In fact, it will look and perform kind of pedestrian compared to those two cars. And any Aston Martin looks better, regardless of performance.
Capability? This SL Black Series managed to run a Nurburgring time that merely matches the $72k Z06. The ZR-1 and the GT-R both creamed it on the ‘ring. So I wouldn’t brag about its capability for $300k.