When cars first get released, many tuners jump headfirst into trying to come out with a tuning package that outdoes anything the automaker has already provided. Others seem to be a little slow on the uptake and end up providing packages for vehicles that have been on the market for a little while longer. The Mercedes CLS 63 AMG was unveiled in 2010, but German tuner, MKB, have only recently revealed their upgrade for the luxury sedan, and the added power was well worth the wait.
MKB popped the hood of the CLS63 AMG and tuned the boost pressure, high flow exhaust systems, and ECU management. These powerful modifications gave the 5.5L twin turbo V8 engine a boost to the tune of 122 HP and 221 lb-ft of torque. As a result, the CLS 63 AMG now delivers a total of 640 HP and 737 lb-ft of torque.
With this added power, the Mercedes CLS63 AMG will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds, while top speed goes up to an impressive 211 mph. That top speed is like forbidden fruit, however, because it was kept limited to 186 mph. The added punch is controlled with a new set of 19" or 20" aluminum wheels wrapped around Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires.
While the wait for the Mercedes SLS AMG roadster version continues on, Mercedes is making the wait a little more bearable by surprising us with another SLS AMG: the GT3 version. The sports car will compete in the 2011 racing season.
The SLS AMG GT3 features a new new front apron with a splitter, the bonnet with central cooling air vent, wider front and rear wings, sideskirts with cooling ducts for the rear brakes, a rear diffuser and the adjustable rear aerofoil.
The race car will be powered by the same 6.3-liter V8 engine, but has been tuned to deliver an impressive +600 hp, a pretty significant spike from the road-going version of the SLS AMG which comes with a "standard" 571 hp.
Also on the interior, the SLS AMG GT3 version will drop all of its luxury amenities, including the air conditioning, navigation and upholstery. Instead, the car’s interior will be stripped down to only include a steel rollover cage, a racing bucket seat with a six-point seat belt and HANS system.
UPDATE 09/22/2011: Tobias Moers, Member of the Board of Directors and Head of Vehicle Development for AMG has confirmed that the SLS GT3 would not be racing in the US market because the company did not want to go through the added expense of re-certifying it for use on US soil.
UPDATE 11/04/2011: After four years of absence, Formula One and DTM driver Mika Häkkinen will make a comeback to the racing world as a guest driver in the SLS AMG GT3. He will participate in the season finale of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup on 13th November in Zhuhai (China) next to DTM driver CongFu Cheng and Lance David Arnold of Germany. Hit the jump for the video.
UPDATE 01/27/12: Mercedes has unveiled a new video showing the first steps of the SLS AMG GT3’s production. Enjoy!
Full story and press release after the jump.
Full story
So what if the holiday season has come and gone? For some folks, the season extends longer than just the turning of the calendar year and in the spirit of this ’extended’ season, German tuning firm Carlsson has decided to give their CK63 RS some Christmas-themed enhancements.
Their name for it? The CK63 RS Santa Edition. If only Santa used this car instead of his usual sleigh...
The whole idea behind Carlsson building a specially-themed program was to build a concept to present something for the season and, boy, did they ever. The engine specs of the car remain the same as that of the CK63 RS, which means that the car’s 5.5-liter bi-turbo V8 engine saw a noticeable bump in output, from the standard 557 horsepower and 590 lb/ft of torque all the way up to 652 horsepower and 663 lb/ft of torque, with the improvements giving the CLS63 AMG a faster 0-62 mph time of just 4.1 seconds.
Likewise, you’ll also see the same aerodynamic package, one that features a new carbon fiber front spoiler, a new spoiler lip, a new trunk lid spoiler, a rear skirt insert and diffuser, and a new set of 20" Carlsson 1/10 Brilliant Edition lightweight alloy wheels. What makes this special CK63 RS so unique is that it’s been dressed with a Diamond White Metallic paint finish that matches the Nappa Exclusive leather interior trim that comes with a "Santa Red" color.
According to Carlsson, a similar specially-themed CK63 RS will be headed to the 2012 Geneva Motor Show this March, which means that we might have more than just one of these unique bad boys on tap.
We don’t always hear from the people over at Weistec Engineering, but every so often, these guys resurface with a program that just blows you away.
With that being said, Weistec has unveiled the first details of their latest
project involving the mighty Mercedes SLS AMG. Packed with an extensive list of performance modifications, Weistec was able to put enough added horsepower on the supercar to make it, at least according to Weistec, the most powerful SLS AMG in the world...period.
The biggest addition to the SLS AMG is a new 2.3-liter Twin-Screw compressor, a supercharger system that clearly defies anything we’ve ever seen before outfitted to an SLS AMG. On top of that, Weistec also put in dual high flow cast aluminum T6 intake tubes, brisk spark plugs, a fuel delivery system upgrade, and a 1,000-hp liquid-to-air unit with aluminum lower manifold and aluminum throttle body inlets.
That’s not all.
A Constant Mu, Delta Pressure (CMDP) cog drive system was also added, as was a billet aluminum cog drive cradle assembly, a new cog belt, a new drive belt, aluminum serpentine idlers, a 30 liter intercooler water pump, an intercooler recovery tank, a new heat exchanger, a high flow fuel rail system, silicone couplers, and a power-steering reservoir relocation assembly.
The list of modifications is already making our heads spin. But through it all, Weistec was able to improve the SLS AMG’s 6.3-liter V8 engine and increase the output from the standard 563 horsepower and 479 lb/ft of torque all the way up to an insane 750 horsepower and 664 lb/ft of torque.
Rumors about a Mercedes SLC-Class started awhile back and for s short period of time, it was believed that the new SLS AMG would be called the SLC. Obviously, this is not the case, but hopes for an SLC are still not lost as Mercedes will indeed offer the SLC in an unexpected package.
The SLC-Class will actually be the baby brother of the SLS and will be set to attack models like the Porsche 911. Compared to the SLS, the future SLC will be lighter and slimmer with the use of plenty of carbon fiber and aluminum. In a shocking twist of SLS insult, the SLC will be devoid of gullwing doors. As for the engine, the future Mercedes SLC will come with two different options. The first will be a twin turbo V6 producing 350 HP and the second will be a V8 engine with an output of 500 HP.
The less dramatic specifications of the Mercedes SLC have also given way to a cheaper price tag compared to that of its brother. Expect to pay somewhere under 100,000 Euro, or about $145,000 at the current exchange rates.
As a reminder, the SLC name was first used as a market name for the Mercedes C107 from 1971 to 1981. These vehicles were sold in three different versions - 280, 380 and 500 SLC - and were powered by either an inline-6 engine or a V8 for the top versions. The name, SLC, is expected to be revived sometime in 2014.
UPDATE 11/09/2011: British magazine, CAR, is offering new details on the upcoming Mercedes SLC set to be released in 2015 - when the SLS goes out of production. The model will be offered in both coupe and roadster versions and, unlike previous rumors have stated, will only be offered with a V8 engine downsized to 4.0 liter. The model will be built on the same aluminum-intensive engineering layout as the SLS, but it will feature a lighter curb weight, even better handling qualities, and exceptional performance.
UPDATE 01/13/2012: Motor Trend has revealed that the future baby SLS will make its world debut later this year at the 2012 Frankfurt Motor Show and that it will be the first model sold under the AMG badge. Their news, however, comes with a big problem: according to them, the new baby SLS is known as the SLV and will be ready to take on models like the Porsche Boxster and Porsche Cayman. Previous rumors stated that the baby SLS would be known as the SLC and that it would compete against the Porsche 911. So, are we talking about two different models or a downgrade of expectations?
