Mercedes-Benz to Release New Black Series

Anthony Fontanelle
April 18, 2007

One way of increasing the popularity and value of a car is of course to design them to be able to perform at an exceptionally high level. Another way to increase the selling point of a car is to make it rare and this means that you would be releasing only a limited number of a particular model into the auto market.

Car manufacturers do this to increase the popularity of the model or to commemorate a milestone. Mercedes-Benz, for example, has increased the already high value of their cars with the successful release of the first Black Series. This year, the German company hopes to continue the success of the Black Series with the announcement of the development and nearing release of the Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series.

Last year, Mercedes-Benz released a Black Series which was based on the Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG. The said limited edition model was produced in a very limited number, making it an instant classic to the view of some auto enthusiasts. This year though, the Black Series of the CLK63 AMG will be marketed to a wider area therefore more of this vehicle will be produced compared to last year’s Black Series.

The Black Series of the four-seater coupe is said to have been inspired by the Mercedes-Benz’s Formula One Safety Car. What sets the Black Series CLK63 AMG apart from the standard model is that it packs more power among other things.

The past Black Series edition was only marketed in Europe. This year though, the 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series will be sold both in and outside of Europe. The said limited edition model will hit showrooms by the latter part of 2007. One of the countries outside Europe that the 2008 Black Series will be made available to is Australia. The inspiration for the Black Series of the AMG lineup of Mercedes-Benz is the Formula One safety car which sets the pace for Formula One cars when a crash on the track pose a threat to the speeding race cars. The Black Series will be the top of the line entry in the AMG model lineup.

The exterior styling sets the Black Series car from the standard ones. Design cues on the outside gives the limited edition series an aggressive look thus increasing its aesthetic value. The deep front spoiler of the Black Series lowers its coefficient of drag making the car more aerodynamic than standard CLK63 AMG. The over emphasized wheel arches, extra ducts on the front fender, and a slightly redesigned bumper gives the Black Series a look unique to itself.

As far as the weight of the car is concerned, Mercedes-Benz is yet to divulge that piece of information. Although one can infer that the Black Series will weigh less than its siblings due to the fact that carbon fiber and other composite materials are used in the construction of the body of the Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series. The lightweight and cool looking material will surely make the Black Series a lot more expensive than standard CLK63 AMG. Speculations around the auto industry puts the price of more than $250,000 to the unreleased limited edition series.

What powers the four-seater coupe is Mercedes-Benz’s humungous 6.2-liter V8 engine. The V8 can produce as much as 500 horsepower and that sure is an improvement over the standard engine used in the standard Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG. That power represents a 25 percent increase in horsepower. That amount of power is transferred from the engine to the drive wheels via a precision engineered seven-speed 7G-Tronic automatic transmission featuring limited slip differential.

The gear box efficiently transfers power from the engine to the wheel s with limited waste of power. That amount of power can only be kept in check by equally highly efficient brake components such as an EBC pad. With all that power, the 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series is reported to reach speeds of 100 kilometers per hour from a standstill in just 4.3 seconds.

Source:  Amazines.com