How big an engine have you driven? Four liter? Five? Six? How about seven? Add another one-thirds to that number and you get almost as much displacement as a Pagani Zonda’s V12 engine.

Known as the M120, it didn’t always reside in the Zonda. It’s creator goes by the name of AMG. Ring a bell? It should. They’re the loons who just can’t keep their hands off Mercs. The M120 was conceived back in 1999 when AMG first laid their hands on an R129 SL roadster. The R129 was the last version of the fourth-gen SL produced from 1990 to 2002. Its stock form was six liters, the same engine found in all V12 Mercs during the 90s. AMG, in creating the SL73, bored and stroked the stock engine and threw in some titanium parts to bring power beyond the 500-hp mark. It gave the SL73 impressive figures such as a zero to 60 time of 4.8 seconds, quite impressive for its time, and a top speed of 186 mph.

During that time, you had to have an SL600 roadster and hand it over to AMG plus $50,000 to have it transformed into an SL73. Only 85 units were made overall, around 50 of those rumored to be now part of the Sultan of Brunei’s stable.

As for the Zonda? Well, the track-only version upped the M120’s power to 678 hp. With a curb weight of around half that of a SL73, you can only imagine what kind of power-to-weight ratio it has. Quite enough to humiliate the M120’s original owner. Horacio Pagani has his friendship with two-time Formula One world champion Juan Manuel Fangio to thank for. Fangio won his two titles for Mercedes. It must be great having ties with Formula One legends.

Source: Jalopnik

Hands down, this is one of the most beautiful Mercedes Benz cars I have ever seen in my entire life. The 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is just fantastic.

It’s like a blast from the past. It’s unlike any AMG mercs that are rolling on production. It looks bolder, yet lighter than its AMG siblings.

Boasting a unique “Gullwing” design, the SLS has a 6.3-liter V8 engine under its nose. All 563hp and 480lb-ft of torque is delivered by a seven-speed dual-clutch tranny to the SLS’ rear wheels. With only 3,500lbs of mass, it can sprint from zero to 60 in just 3.7 seconds.

Its top speed is pegged at around 197mph. You can opt to have carbon ceramic discs installed for extra stopping power during high speed runs.

I’m just a little worried about the length of its nose in relation to its wheelbase. The tendency for such a long nose is to dampen the feel on the steering wheel. Add to that the fact that you’re sitting just in front of the rear wheels may make it seem like a backseat ride.

Anyway, details are still scarce but you can see from photos that its design is pretty old school. Modern headlights design has been matched with that nostalgic front grille from Mercs past.

The SLS will be available in four colors, namely Alubeam Silver, Sylvanite Grey, Alanite Grey and red. It will go into production next year and will only be sold come 2011 in Germany at 177,310 Euros.

http://sportscarforums.com/f9/2010-mercedes-sls-amg-31426.html

http://www.autoblog.com/gallery/2010-mercedes-benz-sls-amg/#9

The Mercedes-Benz AMG SL63

For two times in a row, this car has been chosen to be the safety car of the most coveted motorsports event, Formula One. It’s none other than the Mercedes-Benz AMG SL63. It has enough firepower to lead the Formula One cars along the track before each race and in case of mishaps.

When you open the hood of the SL63, you’d be greeted by a naturally-aspirated, 6.3-liter V8 engine that can give you around 525 horsepower. The SL63 can propel you from zero to hero, err, sixty miles per hour in as little as 4.4 seconds. You’d be happy to hear that the SL63 has a brand new sports exhaust system that has larger pipes and specially-crafted real mufflers. Its shift knob and column shift pads control the AMGSPEED SHIFT MCT 7-speed gear box. It can easily take the corners of any Formula One track thanks to its newly-designed coilovers,

Expect the SL63 to appear in all 17 races, beginning with the Melbourne Grand Prix in Australia. This beauty was made by the creative minds of the AMG Performance Studio, Daimler’s racing department. The SL63’s role as safety car is pretty much like a shepherd tending to his sheep. It guides Formula One car’s into a safe route whenever accidents or bad weather occurs. You’ll find it quite amazing how this car can tame Formula One racecars on the track.

Driven by Schumi’s fellow German Bernd Maylander, it should fit in nicely in front of the world’s most expensive racing machines. It is by no means short of its own credits as a track car. That’s why it was chosen to as safety car. As a safety car, it faces a tremendous challenge. It has to drive as fast as it could ahead of the Formula One cars or else it could risk ruining the whole race day. Formula One cars would overheat if driven too slowly. That’s because much of what cools down their engines comes from the strong slipstreams they create when burning through the track. It’s also necessary to keep their brakes and tires up to the required temperatures. Otherwise, their tires would not grip the track and their brakes won’t be able to stop dead at full speed. That’s why you can safely assume that the driver of the SL63 has got to know his stuff when it comes to fast lap times.

It’s quite an honor to be chosen as safety car driver. Few are given such an exhilarating privilege, to run ahead a pack of Formula One racecars. You could imagine how much patience it takes for a Formula One driver not to bury the pedal to the metal. Even higher is the pressure on Maylander to drive the SL63 as fast as he can to keep the Formula One cars from retiring due to the consequence of low rpm cruising.

But the SL63 isn’t all about speed. Any racer would now that with great horsepower comes the need for great braking ability. That’s why the SL63 is blessed with a composite braking system similar to that of a Porsche. It also has cool AMG alloy rims that are both lightweight and drew an ample supply of air to cool down the brakes.

As expected, the SL63 is so much lighter than its production version, by as much as 220 kilograms. Most of its parts – the bonnet, aprons, wings and trunk lid are all made from carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic materials, It weighs approximately 1.75 tons, not inclusive of passenger weights. It has a host of features both inside and outside that are distinctively sporty, while still surrounding its driver with luxury.

Overall, I think the SL63 lives up to its role as safety car, especially after a successful season last year. But then again, who knows? The 2009 grand prix has just begun, ushering in new Formula One cars featuring the KERS system. Who knows what kind of dangers the Formula One cars and drivers will face and whether the SL63 will be able to pull them through to safety.

Source:

http://www.zercustoms.com/news/Mercedes-SL63-AMG-2009-F1-Safety-Car.html

The Mercedes-Benz AMG SL65 Black Series

Here’s a look at another lightweight Euro supercar that packs a load of kicks – the 2009 Mercedes-Benz AMG SL65 Black Series.

For a peak at its 40-year history, AMG was once a company that was into tuning Mercs until Mercedes-Benz bought it and turned it into AMG Performance Studio, Mercedes-Benz’s very own tuning department. If you watch a lot of Formula One, you’ll notice that the Official F1^TM Safety Car and Official F1^TM Medical Car are both products of AMG. The BS is currently the flagship model in AMG’s line of high-powered production cars.

If you think you can easily dust off this Benz with your Ferrari or Lambo, you’d better step back and watch it from behind for a while. With the right set of driving skills, this baby can whoop your Italian pride with its big engine.

It kinda’ reminds me of a deadly snake called the King Cobra which can kill an elephant with a single bite. AMG could’ve have named the BS as Cobra or Venom. Then again, ‘Black Series’ kinda’ reminds you of those old voodoo films about curses and all. Spooky, huh? Well, it suits this beauty of a beast perfectly. It packs a lot of venom which can easily slow down other supercars.

The BS has a 6-liter V12 biturbo engine that dishes out 670 hp at 5,400 revs and 1,000 Nm from 2,200-4,200 revs. AMG boasts that the torque rating is ‘electronically limited’, hinting that the engine can do better without an electronic seal. But don’t make the mistake of thinking that it can go side to side with a Veyron. It’s takes more than horsepower to go over 400 km/h.

The BS can only go as fast as 320 km/h, again limited electronically. But why do they have to keep writing down ‘electronically limited’? I don’t see any reason why they sealed off the BS’s power. You could always get better tires to handle that much torque. It’s 0 to 60 mp/h sprint takes roughly 3.8 sec, way slower than the Porsche 911 GT2. So I don’t think the BS can stand up to the mighty Veyron.

On the looks department, I’d definitely pick the BS over the McLaren Stirling Moss. Think a mix of BMW Z4 Coupe and Ford Mustang GT with its small package and muscle toned edges, while distinctively Mercedes-Benz. Huge air vents give you a clue as to how much air the engine needs to dissipate heat and for combustion, totally expected for a supercar. The BS’s cooling system consists of an optimized radiator and air cooler to ensure smooth engine power delivery even in extremely hot weather or racing conditions.

Now, here’s something I would like to see for myself – 1,200 Nm of torque without AMG’s electronic power seal. I wonder if with such power, it can dust the strongest, yet humble, supercar Veyron.

Another thing I like about the BS is its light weight – 1870 kg. A light car with a V12 engine makes for a very exciting ride around the track. For extra safety, the BS’s roof is reinforced with a roll bar in case you hit a wall or something while careening into a corner. Its rear spoiler, kinda’ like the Veryon’s automated rear wing, raises up by 12 cm once you top 120 km/h to add downforce to the rear wheels.

Drifting is possible in the BS thanks to its FR (front-engine rear-wheel drive) configuration, but with its box of automated goodies, it won’t be as fun as with old, low-powered Japanese FR cars. The BS has a double clutching system which is supposed to increase enjoyment when downshifting, though I doubt it will be anymore fun than with a Z4.

As with other cars, I won’t go further down the automated systems and interior amenities. Overall, the BS is an exciting car with its huge biturbo V12 engine. It packs enough venom to startle other supercars.

Source:

http://www.mercedes-amg.com/SL65BlackSeries/

http://www.worldcarfans.com/9081111.009/mercedes-sl-65-amg-black-series-in-detail