CLK 63 AMG great for the track

Now you can own the car that leads the Formula One cars; a Mercedes-Benz CLK 63 AMG Black Series based on the official F1 Safety Car.

According to Mercedes Car Group Australian managing director Horst von Sanden, the company had secured 50 CLK 63 AMG Black Series for the Australia Pacific region, despite strong demand overseas.

"Our allocation of 50 will be among the last to be produced in this strictly limited run of vehicles," he said.

Since orders started in mid-November more than half of the allocation has been sold with delivery in the first quarter of 2008.

Each vehicle will be individually numbered with a compliance style plate and a certificate of authenticity, along with a signed letter of provenance and despite the name, comes in colours other than black.

Owners also will have access to special hospitality and driving events.

The $299,000 coupe is powered by the AMG 6.3-litre V8 with its performance boosted to 373kW and 630Nm of torque.

Thanks to the extra 19kW of output, the black Benz races to 100km/h in 4.3sec, making it .3sec faster than the standard 354kW model. The top speed is electronically limited to 300km/h.

The extra power of the high-revving, naturally aspirated 6208cc AMG engine was extracted through an overhauling of the intake and exhaust systems.Power is transmitted through the AMG Speedshift 7G-Tronic gearbox with a shortened final drive ratio for better acceleration.

Outside there is '6.3 AMG' and 'Black Series' badging, side sill panels that extend back to the rear wings and two twin AMG tailpipes.The new AMG sports exhaust system with full-length twin pipes features new silencers and a lower exhaust backpressure.Benz claims this also produces a deeper V8 bass rumble.

The black Benz sits on 19-inch AMG forged lightweight wheels shod with Pirelli P Zero Corsa sports tyres size 265/30 R 19 (front) and 285/30 R 19 (rear).

Carbon fibre abounds on the diffuser fins, spoiler boot lip and enlarged intake ducts.

The interior also gets plenty of carbon fibre trim, AMG logos, aluminium door handles and a start/stop button in matt black with AMG Black Series lettering.

This car has been specifically designed for use at track days.

It is a dedicated two-seater sports car with no rear seats and front AMG sports bucket seats covered in flame-retardant nylon velour with white AMG logos.

It also has new AMG sports suspension featuring adjustable ride height, adjustable compression and rebound shock absorbers, rear-axle track and front axle track and camber, allowing drivers to personalise the setup for competitive driving.

The carbon fibre AMG instrument cluster features a race timer to record lap times and distances along with average and top speeds.