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2011 Mercedes SL65 AMG Black Fortune by Veilside 
Anytime someone has a car like the Mercedes SL65 AMG and gets an opportunity to do some tuning work on it, that person shouldn’t even think about hesitating. Now if that person happens to live in Japan, there’s even more incentive to bring their German sports car to the boys over at Veilside, considering that they’re in the process of unveiling a new aerodynamic body kit at the 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon. Developed under Veilside’s new Black Fortune sub-brand, the aerodynamic program consists of a complete overhaul of parts, including a new front bumper spoiler, new side skirts, a new rear bumper and diffuser, a new rear spoiler, and a slew of other parts, all of which are made entirely out of carbon fiber. Coming from the same guys that worked on a Mercedes SLR McLaren under another one of their brands - Premier4509 - Veilside has made a habit of building some swanky programs for Mercedes. In the case of the Black Fortune program for the SL65 AMG, Veilside will be limiting it to ’only’ 300 units at a cost of €30,000 - $38,450 - for the entire package. 2012 Detroit Auto Show Preview
With the calendar turning over a new page to 2012, the very first major auto show is set to open its doors in Detroit when the North American International Auto Show welcomes automakers - both local and foreign - to the Motor City. This year, American brands are coming to Detroit in full force where they will be joined by a number of international automakers in presenting a steady diet of concept cars, production debuts, and just about everything else in between. Among the notable debuts set to take place include the brand-new 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL, as well as the 2013 Bentley Continental GT V8. German automaker Porsche has also penciled in the 911 Cabriolet for the festivities, while Lexus will be on-hand to display the intriguing and mysterious LF-LC 2+2 sports coupe concept. As for the local contingent, Ford is leading the way with the premiere of the Fusion global mid-size sedan while Dodge is set to introduce their Alfa Romeo Giulietta-based compact sedan, the Dart. There’s plenty of action headed to Detroit when the 2012 NAIAS opens its doors on January 14th. Head over after the jump to check out a preview of all the cars scheduled to be part of all the festivities. Full story 2013 Mercedes SL-Class prepares for launch as last Mercedes SL R230 rolls off production line
Since Mercedes is working away on its next generation SL-Class, units of the current model are fast coming to an end. The last SL R 230 Model Series, unit number 169,434, already rolled off the assembly line at the Bremen plant on November 30, 2011. This specific SL R230 unit is painted in an Iridium silver exterior color and is powered by a 315 BHP 3.5-liter V6 petrol engine. Unfortunately, no one will actually be driving it because it will be added to the automotive gallery of the Mercedes-Benz Museum, right next to the iconic roadsters that wrote the prestigious 60-year history of the ’Sport Leicht’ range. Fear not, though, the 2013 Mercedes SL-Class has already been spotted a number of times, each time with less camouflage than before. With this new generation, Mercedes hopes to achieve a lighter sports car. In fact, they have announced that the next SL-Class will be the first Mercedes model produced in large series to use an all-aluminum bodyshell that is about 242 lbs lighter than a comparable steel bodyshell. As a result, the new SL 500 weighs 275 lbs less than its predecessor, while the SL 350 weighs the above-mentioned 308 lbs less than its previous version. The new 2013 Mercedes SL-Class will be making its world debut in January 2012 at the Detroit Auto Show, but Mercedes will be offering its official specs on December 15, 2011. Stay tuned!
Spy Shots: Mercedes SL-Class Strips Down and Shows off its New Grill Mercedes just finished up with the new generation of its SLK-Class, but recent spy shots of the Mercedes SL-Class show the company hasn’t wasted time preparing its next model. With a history dating back to 1954, the SL-Class is probably one of the more impressive Mercedes models, and its new generation will make it even better. The SL-Class was caught testing yet again, this time wearing less camouflage than ever. Now we can see the more upright grille the company had to use due to European rules regarding pedestrian protection and the new exterior color that fits this sporty car perfectly. What we don’t understand are those hideously ugly rims Mercedes decided to use for the prototype. Hopefully, Mercedes will nix those for the final product. For the interior, we expect to see many elements from the SLS AMG with plenty of leather and aluminum. Power will come from a wide range of power plants, starting with a 3.5 liter V6, going to a 4.6 liter bi-turbo V8, and ending with the wild AMG version sporting a 536bhp twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V8. The new 2013 Mercedes SL-Class will go on sale in the third quarter of 2012.
2011 Mercedes SL-Class R230 Black Bison Edition by Wald International
The SEMA Show is not just for American tuners and their tuning packages. Wald International, the famous Japanese tuner, has also confirmed their presence in Las Vegas with a tuning package based on the Mercedes-Benz R230 SL-Class. The model will be displayed courtesy of U.S. distributor Jonari Corporation. The tuner has said nothing about an engine upgrade, but the exterior has been heavily modified, although its not something that we’re particularly impressed about. The aerodynamic package includes: a front bumper fascia, front sports fenders, side skirts, rear bumper fascia, quarter panel wheel arch extensions and a trunk spoiler. As far as we’re concerned, the element that totally ruins the look of the car is a DTM sports muffler with twin exhaust pipes placed in the middle of the rear diffuser. The final element includes a new set of Renovatio R12 wheels in sizes 9J x 20-inch at the front and 11J x 20-inch at the back. Mercedes drops the V12-powered SL-Class models
Mercedes is sneaking around like the cat that ate the canary, but its dinner has consisted of swallowing up the V12-powered SL-Class. The 2012 SL65 AMG is joining the other quietly discontinued model - the SL600 - in order for Mercedes to focus on developing the new generation SL-Class set to be released in 2013. Mercedes hasn’t officially announced why they are phasing out their top of the line SL model, but it may have something to do with the SLS AMG and its similar power output. The SL65 AMG produces 604 HP to the SLS AMG’s 571 HP, but the SLS AMG is also 900 lbs lighter than the SL65 AMG. The lighter weight allows the SLS AMG to be more agile and provide better performance. Dupont Registry is also saying that Mercedes may be slowly eliminating their V12-powered models to make room for their new 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine. This engine fits right into the whole "go green" phenomenon with a fuel efficiency improvement of about 25% when compared to the brand’s 6.3-liter V-8. Either way, the market has lost two of Mercedes’ big guns and so far, they don’t seem to be too upset about it. Let us know what you think in the comments section below. 2011 Mercedes SL R230 Black Edition by Prior DesignPrior Design is no stranger to the Mercedes SL R230, having provided an aggressive package for the sports car just last year. That model was inspired by the Mercedes SLS AMG - hence the aggressive nature - and was a signed, sealed, and delivered success. This time around, Prior Design has opted for milder design modifications to the exterior and interior, but the result is just as scintillating as the first. The new Mercedes SL R230 Black Edition by Prior Design still gets a bit of edge from the body kit provided, with a new front bumper, front fenders, front bonnet, and front lip spoiler exaggerating the curves of the SL model’s original front end. The same idea is carried along the side of the vehicle with new, pronounced side skirts that direct the attention on back to the modified rear end. The most noticeable change for the rear is the new trunk spoiler, but a new bumper, rear widenings, and a rear diffuser have also been added. Then there’s the new set of wheels with concave design at the back and the replacement windshield water tank to wrap things up. Nothing has been said about the changes made for the interior of the SL-Class, but the images provided reveal a cool combination of black and red leather for both the seats and dashboard, a three-spoke steering wheel, and various carbon fiber insertions. The new Prior Design package for the SL-Class doesn’t match the hardcore design of the previous package, but when all is said and done, the modified sports car is still classy and edgy. These two adjectives aren’t usually achieved at the same time successfully, so that says something for Prior Design’s beautiful work. UPDATE 04/20/12: Prior Design has released a new video of the SL-Class Black Edition. You can check it out by clicking on the photo above! 2011 Mercedes SL65 AMG by Inden Design
The Mercedes SL65 AMG has been around the block for quite some time now, but there seems to be no end in sight for aftermarket packages for the German drop-top sports car. Can’t say that we’re surprised at all. The SL65 AMG has always been one of our favorite Mercedes’ cars and after finding out what Inden Design did to it, it just made our itch that much harder to scratch. The German tuning firm that’s made a name for their impressive programs on Mercedes vehicles has come out with another winner. Inden Design’s aerodynamic program comes with a new wide body kit that takes the appearance – or at least closely resembles the look – of the SL65 AMG Black Series. Complementing the wide body kit are other new features, including new front and rear bumpers, a boot lid spoiler, new side skirts, a carbon fiber roof, wider wheel arches, a new bonnet with two air vents on either side, a new grille, a new exhaust system, and a set of 20” alloy wheels wrapped in 265/30 tires on the front and 325/25 tires at the back. Inside, Inden Design left the changes to a minimum, opting only to dress the steering wheel and some parts of the instrument panel in Alcantara. Apart from the aerodynamic improvements, Inden Design also remapped the SL65 AMG’s ECU, bumping the output of the car’s 6.0-liter bi-turbocharged V12 engine from 612 horsepower to 680 horsepower while also removing the sports car’s electronic speed limiter. All told, it’s an impressive work from the folks over at Inden Design, a fact that really doesn’t surprise us anymore. These guys know what they’re doing. 2011 Super GT Carlsson C25 Royale
The Carlsson C25 officially debuted last year at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, and this year it’s back in Geneva with more goodies and an even cooler name. The Super GT C25 Royale is a tuning project based on the Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG. It includes an abundance of carbon fiber elements, as well as optimized driving dynamics and perfected electronics. Carlsson will only build 25 units of the C25 Royale, one unit for each country the vehicle will be sold in. "There are more than enough super cars around that can only be driven safely on a racing track", says engineer Markus Schuster, Managing Director at Carlsson. "We deliberately wanted to develop a car that is exclusive on the one hand but can still be used for the daily commute to the office. A Super GT which can go from 0 to 100 kph in just 3.7 seconds while at the same time offering the utmost in ride comfort." Hit the jump to read more about the Super GT Carlsson C25 Royale. Full story Speedriven works hard to break records with their CNG Mercedes SL600
Two things have been around for a long time, Mercedes Benz and Performance Tuning. The two also share intertwined histories as companies such as AMG, Brabus, Renntech, and Lorinser were born and continue to adapt the latest technology to factory Benz models. There are hundreds of tuning companies and race shops throughout the country, but telling them apart can be difficult. Most do not build their own parts, but rather perform the mechanical work for you to add aftermarket exhausts, ECU upgrades, and turbochargers. Some offer full service tuning and testing, but currently there is only one that is attempting to push a natural-gas powered Mercedes to a land speed record. Speedriven is a Chicago-based firm that is currently working with Bernie Towns to develop this “green” record breaker. Towns’ is an engineer for HighMount Exploration and Production and the companies main focus is natural gas energy. Many of your home appliances, such as the water heater and stove, may run off natural gas, but did you ever think your car would? Actually, Utility and Transportation departments throughout the country have been using natural gas in everything from construction equipment to buses for years; which have helped to reduce costs and improve air quality. For someone that wants to help the environment, lower costs, and produce tons of horsepower, natural gas is the perfect option for this SL600. Speedriven also provided other performance enhancements for the Mercedes in order to keep it safe under high speeds. Jo Borras of Speedriven speaking about Towns’ said, “He doesn’t just want to do a CNG Benz, though. Bernie wants to break records.” Hit the jump to learn more about Towns’ vision. Full story | Mercedes SL-Class tuning:Find us on Facebook | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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