Patience is a virtue, but Mercedes-Benz fans were surely running out of theirs while waiting for the Black Series of the SL65 AMG, a car that is already amazing in plain AMG guise. Now these fans can rest and reload their patience levels for the next brand presentation now that the SL65 AMG Black Series details have been revealed. And most of them are even better than what we expected.
The only drawback is the output of the fantastic 6-litre biturbo V12. It could reach 720 bhp, but it was supposed to be limited to 680 bhp. The final number is lower: 661 hp. It might sound disappointing, especially when we realise that, even with extensive use of carbon-fibre parts, and the reduction of 250 kg (550 lbs.), the roadster still weights a lot: 1,870 kg (4,122 lbs.). Regardless, performance numbers continue to be impressive.
The almost two-ton sports car reaches a maximum speed of 320 km/h (198mph) and goes from 0 to 96 km/h (60mph) in 3.9 s. If the SL65 AMG Black Series was lighter, it would rival with supercars like Koenigsegg and Bugatti Veyron in what relates to performance, but it would surely have to sacrifice comfort and convenience in exchange. Considering the SL65 AMG Black Series continues to be a Mercedes-Benz, it would not be a good idea to do so.
Prices and more information will probably have to wait until the Paris Motor Show in October, when the official presentation of this gorgeous car is expected to take place.
Mercedes-Benz Presents The Mean SL65 AMG Black Series
Top speed of 320 km/h; 661 hp
by Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
July 11, 2008 8:51 AM
Filed Under: German, Mercedes-Benz, Paris Motor Show
July 11, 2008 8:51 AM
Filed Under: German, Mercedes-Benz, Paris Motor Show
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Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series
(66 photos)
Comments
HOT HOT HOT!
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by kevoluetion | July 11, 2008 9:10 AM
I want! I want! I want!
by JD | October 29, 2008 10:28 PM
check those fenders, they're HUGE!, ridiculously huge.
by greenacre | July 11, 2008 9:12 AM
the rims look nice when spinning.... but not at standstill... i guess it'll grow on me though :P!! this this is one fat ass, kick ass car haha
by carcrazy1234 | July 11, 2008 9:17 AM
Jaw to floor... Tongue unrolling on the floor like a red carpet... Instant headache from "cool Merc" concept hard to conceive... OMG, it's ridiculous! (in a good way)
by ShinyG | July 11, 2008 9:18 AM
If that Black series on top gear was fast , what on earth will this be like??
SO damn sexy.
by Goldfinger | July 11, 2008 9:20 AM
I'm not a Mercedes fan, but this one looks ok... Only problem is, why the heck does it still way so much? 1870 kg! Thats over 2 TONS!
by AG4 | July 11, 2008 9:32 AM
How is a ton and 870 kg over 2 tons?
by mps | July 11, 2008 10:26 AM
1870 kg CAN be over 2 tons: A metric ton (the one that everyone in the civilized world uses) is 1000 kg, a "ton" (in the US) is about 900 kg... so for the americans, 1870 kg is approximately 2 tons plus 70 kg (about 140lbs)
by loyo | July 11, 2008 11:01 AM
to mps: dude... it's over 2 tons 1 short ton = 907.18474 kilograms
by Frankorilla | July 11, 2008 11:03 AM
but the metric ton is more commonly used
by Bakrione | July 11, 2008 7:12 PM
Very cool...a bit of turbo tuning and this thing will blow away doors when it drives by...
by schizo0223 | July 11, 2008 9:43 AM
i think as far as the new shape SL goes, AMG have actually managed to make this one look good. that in itself is a more amazing feat than the performance of this thing. the only thing is that if the "standard" SL65 AMG costs £160k odd, then this will be priced to match the Lamborghini Murcielago and Ferrari 599 GTB and i'd put money of both of them being better cars to drive
by sub39h | July 11, 2008 9:45 AM
yeah i agree, the facelift really ruined the theme of the original styling but i reckon the wheel arches and especially the front bumper really make the facelift look sorted
by scuderia7 | July 11, 2008 11:34 AM
and what's the go with 6 spoke wheels lately? they look good tho
by scuderia7 | July 11, 2008 11:42 AM
and i like the back... the diffuser, the spoiler and the way it flows into the rear quarter panels... HOT! and whilst the c63 may be better value than this (remember that c63 black is ridiculously somuch more expensive than the regular c63) this just looks so special. it'll probably be the worse value for money sportscar. i'd really like to be able to drive both this and the slr and compare them.
by scuderia7 | July 11, 2008 11:57 AM
That is one hell of a good looking car.I love the stance it looks mean!!!!
by ALBE | July 11, 2008 10:02 AM
It's not a roadster anymore! The roof is in one piece. WTF?
by n1c0 | July 11, 2008 10:11 AM
don't like those wheels, it's a bit too much of everything, the CLK black series is much more pretty, this car used too much steroïds!!!
by mc959 | July 11, 2008 11:07 AM
I thought it would be more special than this. There is no big improvement in this like the CLK black. With the perfomance of the CLK black equally comparing to this in the 0-60, I would save my money and get a clk black and it would porbably save more money on gas. I think they held back on this one to make the new SLR more special.
by pzigly | July 11, 2008 11:08 AM
Not only was the power limited, They also had to limit the torque amount to 1000Nm. Mercedes said 1200Nm is possible.
by 122 | July 11, 2008 11:44 AM
"I'm not a Mercedes fan, but this one looks ok... Only problem is, why the heck does it still way so much? 1870 kg! Thats over 2 TONS!"
So then its no problem, its under two tons?!!? hehehehe
by ringi | July 11, 2008 12:06 PM
Okay: 0-60mph under 4 sec, top speed 198 mph, very good looking! So please give it to JC and we will know how it handles.
by burana800 | July 11, 2008 1:56 PM
Still, it did't beat the Ferrari 599 in 0-60 time.
by GranTurismo | July 11, 2008 2:59 PM
Beautiful car. Idiotic torque and rear spoiler.
by alessandro | July 11, 2008 3:18 PM
Im in love with this car, Its an SL65 and while people might disrespect the power gains, it got something more important. It lost 5550KGs of weight, yea shes still a big girl....but with all that torque its gonna be easy to move it. Also this car dropped the hydraulic suspension so the handling should be incredibly better. I'ld buy it in a second, next to a GT-R and 911GT2 :)
by Xanavi23 | July 11, 2008 3:39 PM
smoothed front and dynamized end, they should make all SL look like this, despite the bumper kit.
by tp | July 11, 2008 3:58 PM
My God i want that car
by ADJ-117 | July 11, 2008 4:51 PM
I am loving it!
by Verdano | July 11, 2008 7:00 PM
This is the best resolved design of the current SL.
by saint_dracula | July 11, 2008 8:05 PM
why did they stick to this old fashioned heavyweight v12 instead of the rabid 6.3 V8!! other than that the styling is breathtaking, proving good taste and body kits are compatible, eventhough rare......
by ck314 | July 11, 2008 8:55 PM
EEK! Merc has gone power and styling mad on one car! Looks damn hot!
by tuner_mad | July 11, 2008 10:29 PM
Hell... Yes.
by wjaprep | July 11, 2008 10:52 PM
mercedes BIG problem...the worse philosofy about sporting.. raise the engine power no matter if the car goin to be heavy!!not only that but also notice that 1st they tell you the real horsepower then they told you that they limit it to anything less..why????(by the way i don't mention the traction control).. finally we get this .......... THE OVER WEIGHT CANCELLED THE MORE POWER...WHAT A COMPANY!!!LOL
by bassam | July 12, 2008 12:35 AM
It's not just the weight issue: MB needs to understand its extreme sportscars are not going to be taken seriously as long as they fit lame autoboxes as the only option.
by ck314 | July 12, 2008 1:02 AM
Oh no!!! Does it have paddle shift??? I hope so.
by GranTurismo | July 12, 2008 9:37 AM
haha, no its a merc its going to have automatic
by joe_limon | July 13, 2008 1:05 AM
so why a 6 liter v12? I know v12 engines are naturally balanced, but so are inline 6 engines. V12=more moving parts + more cylinder wall surface area (aka more power lost through heat dissipation) + an increased number of areas within the displacement that offer less then ideal burning conditions=Heavier, more friction, more rotational inertia, less efficient. I thought German engineers were supposed to be smart. If they would have gone with a twin turbo inline 6 with 6 liters of displacement, that there would have been insane. So much more power, cheaper/easier to fix, lighter, stronger, and more fuel efficient to boot.
by joe_limon | July 12, 2008 1:36 AM
More pistons means more area, which is directly proportional to power. This is why a 6 litre V8(naturally aspirated) is less powerful than a non turbo 6 litre V12.
by GranTurismo | July 12, 2008 9:35 AM
Engine balancing is done only for making the engine quieter and more civilized. Power does'nt have anything to do with it.
by GranTurismo | July 12, 2008 9:38 AM
6.0 inline six? What do you think this is, a Nissan? Nobody complains about Ferrari having v-12's but when it comes to Merc, somebody alwas has something bad to say. if this benz had 750 hp, someone would complain and ask why doesent it have 800. No dry sump lubrication, no dual oil filters, no multiple radiators, its just a powerful engine with great tourqe curve, something you can't get out of a high revving straight six. And when you bring it in to service (every 13,000 miles or 20917 Km) you either pay $300 (188 euro) for a A-service, or $600 (315 euro)for a B-service (find that with any other supercar) And a 4 year 50,000 (80,450 Km) mile warranty and lifetime roadside service to boot. Thats piece of mind. And oh yeah, there is no replacement for displacement!
by ll55amg | July 16, 2008 11:20 AM
this car isnt about fuel efficiency first of all its an sl65, so the v12 is expected not to mention the black series, for exclusivity an inline 6 would rev too high for such a car also, if merc thot it was a good idea to put an inline 6 then they would have
by dbehmoaras | August 5, 2008 5:18 PM
Oh my god! this is the super sexy SL ever!
by Pentium | July 12, 2008 3:44 PM
haha thats a horrible reason, sure there are more pistons, but those pistons are also half as small, if you wanted more area you would create a larger bore and use higher compression pistons to keep the displacement the same size. The reason why v12's are more powerful then equivalent v8's is because they don't require counterweights, that makes them vibrate less, and that increases the the ability of the engine to be tuned to higher rpms, which can result in a higher hp number.
by joe_limon | July 13, 2008 1:17 AM
Why does Mercedes refuse to put a six-speed manual into any of its performance cars..
by RS5 | July 13, 2008 2:47 AM
With all that torque they dont wans customers destroying their clutches. Can u imagine how much it will cost for you if you ruin a MERCEDES SL clutch. Regular service is expensive as hell already can u imagine how much they will charge you to open your transmission no to mention parts. Customers will get mad and try some other cars. Even if you are rich $5K or more is still expensive.
by pzigly | July 13, 2008 6:13 AM
nice try but no, mercedes isn't targeting anyone under the age of 50, they aim to make their cars as user friendly, cozy, and conservative looking as possible. After all the rich guys tend to be older.
by Joe_Limon | July 13, 2008 6:55 AM
Ya obviously that too. But some older men still like to drive stick.
by pzigly | July 13, 2008 7:29 AM
What about companies like Audi and BMW who put stick into their high end cars such as the A5/R8 and the 5/6 series cars. Mercedes is too conservative. Supercars that cost many more times as a Mercedes performance car use stick. Mercedes should consider making stick an option in its cars.
by RS5 | July 13, 2008 5:59 PM
Of course they should, but first off they need a light revvy engine devoid of unpleasant inertness, the antithesis of this ageing indirect injection monsterboat motor with 3 valves per cylinder and single overhead cam shafts...
by ck314 | July 14, 2008 2:04 AM
Not even. There must be some way to incorporate a manual into its cars; Mercedes engines feel relatively light compared to that of other cars for me. Of course there may be some jerkiness when shifting but it would be much more fun. The fact that most Mercedes' are automatic is a huge turnoff for me.
by RS5 | July 14, 2008 4:03 AM
Cars with paddle shifters are basically automatics with some sort of semi-manual mode. I believe even Ferrari/Lamborghini, etc. with paddle shifters have automatic modes.
by RS5 | July 14, 2008 3:57 AM
@ Joe Limon all the way up there.
by RS5 | July 14, 2008 3:58 AM
The Ferrari auto i believe is not a traditional torque converter auto tho as the merceds auto would be
by scuderia7 | July 15, 2008 3:07 PM
untrue RS5,some are "automated manuals" while others are "manually operated automatics". Two completely different things.
by benz_man | July 16, 2008 5:03 AM
Spectacular Mercedes!!! I like it :-) I want iiiiit :-)))
by Alex_011 | July 14, 2008 9:35 PM
661 hp and only 320km/h ?? What a disappointment :/
by lelu | July 14, 2008 10:42 PM
Merc sticks with there auto-box because that is what the are known for, take the SLR for instance, this is the fastest 5-speed auto car in the world. If you notice, alot of car companys are following that trend.. SMG..for what? It all comes down to sales, this is one of the reasons the E63 out sales the M5. Merc's main focus at the end of the day is luxury. A stick in their eyes is not luxurious if you are sitting in traffic. The AMG speedshift paddles in my CL65 feel great, they are very responsive, I believe this car probaly has the same technology except its probaly better.
by ll55amg | July 16, 2008 10:50 AM
I really love the SL65 BlackS. it has the looks that enters strait to the heart. This is a sports car that fulfills the dreams. It's way more muscular & beautiful than the SLR. Already an icon in car world..
by SalimAl-Abri | July 17, 2008 10:05 AM
SL is a cruise car, if u wanna get a sport car, u should buy one of the pure sportcar manufacturers' not a hardly modified merc.
by gorkyphoenix | July 18, 2008 1:57 AM
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