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Mercedes-Benz SL AMG Black Series
By
Ben Pulman
26 September 2007 04:33
What’s this high-performance beast then?
To give the car its full likely name, this is the Mercedes-Benz SL AMG Black Series. AMG has a hierarchy, and top of the line are the Signature Series cars like the CLK DTM road car. One rung below that is the Black Series launched in 2006. These are more powerful, lighter and track-biased cars - that’s why this car has been snapped at the Nurburgring. The first Merc to get the Black treatment was the SLK55 AMG. Then there was the CLK63 AMG, and now the ritzy SL gets the treatment. The car won't go on sale until at least spring 2008 and is likely to cost the wrong side of £150,000.
So what should I know about the car?
The biggest change is a switch to a fixed roof, like on its SLK smaller sibling. The big roadster’s party-piece has always been that folding roof, but the wealthy buyers who choose the Black will no longer be able to show off their roof acrobatics. There’s still a roof, but this time it’s likely to be made from carbonfibre. Not only does this lower the car’s weight, but it should lower the centre of gravity too. AMG engineers have tried to disguise this switch but our spy pictures clearly show the new roof. Look closely at the shut lines suggesting a folding roof, and you'll notice they're not in the same place as the regular SL.
