by Keiichi (RSS feed) June 15th, 2010 at 8:10 pm
How many of you are fans of convertibles? Hands up. Your sheer numbers just goes to show that not everyone prefers a coupe, and that’s why Mercedes-Benz makes sure you’re never left out. That’s what the Cabriolet is for. It’s not just for the ladies, but for gentlemen as well—at least those who appreciate having the wind blow through their beard and chest hair. And just to make sure you don’t grow envious of Brabus owners, TC-Concepts has come up with their very own pimped out version of your favorite Cabrio.
The Mercedes-Benz tuner now offers a modification kit for the SL65 AMG Black Series, giving the coupe-slash-cabrio bigger balls of steel and a lot of attitude. Going by the name of EXESOR, the modification kit puts a 6.5-liter twin-turbo V12 monster of an engine into your SL65 AMG Black Series, plus a reprogrammed ECU and redesigned boost control. On the rear end of this behemoth is a new sports exhaust system that features a low backpressure catback system, while a modified sports air filter sits up front.
The stock AMG adjustable sports suspension will be modified with a lowering module, bringing down the action to as close as 60nm to the asphalt. The 20-inch TC Ultraspoke 3-piece rims with Dunlop tires—285/25 R20 upfront and 325/25 R20 on the rear—speak for themselves.
As for the body, we’ll just say there’ll be a lot of carbon-reinforced plastic and genuine carbon. Aesthetics are all there in the picture. What’s inside is for you to find out. So head on down to TC-Concept.
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by Leo (RSS feed) June 1st, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Germany’s Prior Design has just announced the new tweaks they made on the Mercedes SL R230. Their modification focused mainly on the exterior body, with the redesigned SL sporting a more forceful front end echoing the aggressive lines of the Black Series SL65 AMG.
Prior Design framed the new, broad air intakes with black mesh grilles that make the modified kit more aggressive and muscular. The fine tune also includes broad and wide wheel arches to accommodate Prior Design’s proprietary 20-inch three-piece rim design, with the front axle measuring 265/30 and at the back, coming in at size 305/25.
The side skirts and air inlets have been redesigned to sport a bolder impression, along with a back end that wears a fresh bumper wrapped around four oval exhausts. Prior Design’s air diffuser has three fins that can be made to order to match the roadster’s color or with a carbon fiber polish.
The suspension module on the SL R230 was lowered to make the roadster appear closer to the ground. The company has opted to mount its own bold Prior Design logo rather than the typical Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star.
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by Keiichi (RSS feed) May 28th, 2010 at 11:16 am
Folks down under, has Mercedes-Benz got a surprise for you. Coming your way this July are 25 Night Edition SL 350s, in celebration of the SL line’s 57 years in production.
Each Night Edition will fetch around AU$246,000, or roughly above two hundred grand in US dollars. A dozen of them will be sporting Designo Magro Night Black paint. It’s the same special matte finish that was introduced on the C63 AMG. The rest of them, on the other hand, will get Obsidian Black metallic finish. Whether you choose one or the other won’t affect the price, so you’ve got more thinking to do on which finish strikes your heart the most.
While you’re busy deciding, here are some of the things that’ll be greeting you once you get the goods:
Exterior Appointments
- Choice of exclusive designo magno Night black special paint or Obsidian Black metallic paint
- Sporty 19-inch AMG 5-spoke light-alloy wheels, painted titanium grey with a highsheen finish
- Silver-painted brake callipers with Mercedes-Benz lettering at the front with perforated front and rear brake discs
- Darkened headlamps and tail lights including 3rd brake light, as in SL 63 AMG/SL 65 AMG
- DISTRONIC autonomous cruise control
- Remote boot lid opening and closing
- Door handles with high-gloss finish
- Shoulder line trim strip and door faceplate in high-gloss chrome
- “Night Edition” badge on the front mudguards
Interior Appointments
- New seats in Nappa leather with diagonal fluting, arrow-shaped seams and silver-coloured contrast elements
- Sports steering wheel, selector lever and door linings in black with contrasting silvercoloured stitching
- Black ash wood trim
- Door sill panels with Mercedes-Benz logo as in SL 600
- “Night Edition” badge on the seat backrests
- Floor mats with embroidered “Night Edition” logo
- AIRSCARF with silver-coloured fans
- Draught-stop with high-gloss chrome trim strip
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by Keiichi (RSS feed) May 25th, 2010 at 6:33 pm
What’s new with the next Mercedes-Benz SLK? Let’s look at the spy photos, shall we? Well, there’s the new three-fold roof that’ll be able to fold less than 22 seconds (which is the current model’s retraction time). And then there’s the redesigned ducktail spoiler that resembles that of the SLS AMG. Plus, there’s the tail lights that look as though they’re going to be slimmer and longer, stretching past the trunk lid and the ducktail.
What else? Oh, right. The body of the next SLK will be of a tubular fuselage design, again taking heavy cues from the SLS AMG. There’s also a lot of running on the sides to make the new SLK appear a lot more interesting when viewed from its laterals. And the headlights – a work of art. It’s like staring into a pair of sleek eyes that have running LED lights for eyebrows. Cool.
The new headlights are longer and a lot sexier than ever before, which brings us to the new front grille that’s a lot like those on the SLS AMG, the Shooting Break and the F 800 Style Concept. It’ll have those wing-like horizontal bars to flank the three-pointed star in the middle.
Finally, if you look inside, you’ll notice that the center console is a lot wider, and has these propeller-like air vents. The dash top is again similar to the SLS AMG and is rumored to be carried over to future Mercedes-Benz models.
There you have it, folks. Watch our for its release come June in 2011.
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by Keiichi (RSS feed) May 25th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
You just can’t get enough of Brabus, can you? Well, it’s all good. Brabus can’t get enough of the Mercedes-Benz SL65 either. Apparently, they couldn’t quite get over their creation of the 800hp Vanish SL65 AMG Black Series that they upped the bravado even more. Dubbed as the Stealth, it’s even more sinister and packs more teeth than the Vanish, making us envy those private Dubai customers even more.
Say, you have an SL65 AMG Black Series in its most basic form. It already has around 670hp, enough to make short work of almost anything that dares cross its path. Now, imagine adding a little bit more power to its engine. Let’s say, around 150hp more. So that’s a total of 820 skull crushing horses to shred the rear tires. Considering that Brabus’ customers have seemingly infinite dollar accounts, we’re sure they can buy all the rubber that they’ll need to keep their toys rolling. But they’ll need to spend on another luxury – speeding tickets.
You might be interested to know that the two ultra-lavish customers of the Vanish and the Stealth are neighbors. It’s really no surprise, isn’t it. Birds of the same value flock together? They’re like, “Hey, I like your toy. Where’d you get it?” and the Vanish owner says, “Oh, some toymaker named Brabus,“, and the other goes, “Can I have mine named Stealth?” Gnarly.
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by Francis Isberto (RSS feed) May 19th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
The Brabus SV12 R Roadster. The Big Red Machine or the Red Devil of the Middle East. You can call it anything you want but the bottom line still remains… this vehicle is the most powerful open air sports car in the world.
The two-seater vehicle is powered by the BRABUS SV12 R Biturbo 750 twelve-cylinder engine with 730 hp and 1100 Nm. From 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.0 seconds and to 200 km/h (124 mph) in 10.5 seconds combined with an electronically limited top speed of 350 km/h (217 mph) is impressive proof of the car’s prowess.
The features are also dynamic. The exterior the SV12 R benefits from a BRABUS design front apron with an assortment of lighting options like a set of stylish LED driving lights, auxiliary high beams for additional visibility and mist eliminating fog lamps.
Almost every piece of the SV12 R’s interior has been recovered in brilliant red fabric, making a bold statement in contrast to the car’s white body. The Big Red Machine or the Red Devil of the Middle East. It doesn’t matter. What matters is the power and features of this Super car.
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by Keiichi (RSS feed) May 13th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
You remember the BRABUS T65 RS Vanish, don’t you? Well, guess what? BRABUS has just released to the press full details of their latest creation, including engines specs that’ll really make your eyes water with sheer want.
Based on their press releases, which happens to match what we previously told you, the RS Vanish will be able to catapult from zero to 62 mph at an astounding 3.6 seconds. Racing to 124 mph from a full stop takes less than ten seconds, and you’ll be able to accelerate up to 206 mph, if you request for the speed limiter which is set at 200 mph ‘for safety’. Who are they kidding, really?
Here’s what happens to a stock SL65 AMG upon transformation. First, a high-tech twin turbo system upgrade is done, including special exhaust manifolds each with its own turbine housings and high-end turbochargers. And then a quad of HUGE intercoolers sit under a carbon fiber hood scoop for maximum intake air cooling. On the exhaust side, BRABUS puts a stainless steel system with a free-flowing cat back. And finally, new electronic programming of fuel injection and ignition timing to push power up to 800 hp at 5,500 rpm and a teeth-breaking 1,420 Nm of peak torque at a low 2,100 rpm.
Do you remember now? Good. Now all you need is to drop BRABUS a hundred grand on your SL65 AMG.
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by Leo (RSS feed) May 11th, 2010 at 11:51 am
From 05 May to 09 May this year, Mercedes Benz participated in the Mille Miglia 2010, a yearly event where classic cars tried to outpace each other in a rally from Brescia to Rome and back again in a figure eight course. Mille Miglia, so-called because the course stretches across a thousand Roman miles, originally ran from 1927 to 1957 as an open-road endurance race but had to be ended because it had become dangerous. It was revived in 1982 as a road rally of vintage vehicles which dated back to the original Mille Miglia.
This year, Mercedes-Benz took part in “the most beautiful road race in the world” with its 1952 300SL sporty race car which saw a first place finish in 1997, with Flaminiano Valseriati and wife, Fulvia Sabadini behind the wheel. Valseriati also drove a 300SL in a 1989 Mille Miglia victory with co-driver Bernardo Favero. The first time that a Mercedes car won in the much-vaunted Italian classic car race was in 1931 with an SSK model driven by Rudolf Caracciola and Wilhelm Sebastian.
Mille Miglia 2010 spectators were treated to a display of rare Mercedes classics, which included nine 300SL Gullwings, three SSKs, a 220A and a W194 prototype I, easily the largest turnout of the company’s treasures. David Coulthard, Jochen Mass, and Mikka Hakkinen were on hand to drive for Mercedes. 50 other brands and 400 vintage racers also competed in the annual event.
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by Michael Cavinta (RSS feed) May 7th, 2010 at 11:02 am
When Mercedes presented its Mercedes SLK in 1996, it came to be a very popular model of the company. Mercedes then did some major changes with its body and also upped its performance, which brought out the second generation last 2004. Its second generation SLK was known to be one of the Car and Driver’s Ten Best and also gained the title of Canadian Car of the Year’s Best New Convertible Award. Again, Mercedes has come to a point where they need to decide whether to re-design the SLK and make it famous once again. According to the reports, Mercedes management once again is making impressive changes to the said model.
The new SLS AMG will become a model for the next generation Mercedes SLK. Based on the reports, Mercedes has removed its F1 nose, designed a new rectangular grille, added a large chrome bar and an optional glass roof that would make its new owners very satisfied. The SLK model will also add a diesel engine in its line and by 2012, it plans to release a four cylinder 2.1 twin-turbo engine that gives out up to 204 HP. The new SLK 250 CDI is said to compete with its rivals, Audi TT Roadster TDI and the Alfa Romeo Spider. The new SLK 350 CGI will be powered by a new 306 HP V6 engine that targets to compete with the BMW Z4. According to the reports, the latest SLK is said to be publicly unveiled by the end of this year and will be ready for sales in the early 2011.
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by Keiichi (RSS feed) May 5th, 2010 at 1:25 am
The 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLK is set for a transformation. Apart from earlier reports of its getting a generous helping of carbon fiber panels to lighten its already lean curb weight, the up and coming SLK will also be getting a fresh makeover to distinguish it from the old.
The next SLK will have a thoroughly redesigned front end that’ll flaunt an entirely new grille that’s quite similar to the SLS AMG. Also getting a revamp are the headlights, hood and front bumper. Coupled with even longer and sleeker side mirrors, these new designs will improve the new SLK’s aerodynamics and make it a lot more visually astounding.
Power, of course, will have a premium as well. An engine option will see power coming from a four pot 2.2-liter BlueEfficiency twin-turbo diesel, as well as a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 petrol that is very likely to peak at around 220 to 260 kW. This option is probably going to be housed in the SLK’s AMG version. No word yet on whether it’ll keep a supercharged Kompressor-variant.
So stay tuned folks. The new SLK is going to change how you view a short, lightweight sports convertible. That’s what ‘SLK’ means, by the way.
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