Mercedes-Benz SLS-Class 2016 News

Only two of the 10 Black Series SLS AMG coupes ordered by Benz Australia remain to be sold. That's despite an astronomical price tag of $639,000 apiece which does not include on-road costs, easily making it the most expensive Benz you can buy here.But it's by no means the most expensive Benz ever sold here. That honour goes to the million plus Maybach followed by the SL 65 AMG Black Series at $700K.The next most expensive Benz in the current line-up is the long wheel base, 6.0-litre V12 S-Class 65 AMG at a thumping $498,700. Benz has a short but notable tradition of making these cars.The SLS following in the footsteps of the CLK 63 AMG Black Series (2007), the SL 65 AMG Black Series (2008) and the C 63 AMG Coupe Black Series (2011).With engine mods and every conceivable option the Black Series is the hi-end version of its super sports car version of its gullwing model. "The SLS AMG Coupe Black Series perfectly embodies the transition of performance technology from motorsport to the open road" Benz boss Horst Von Sanden said."The new SLS AMG Coupe Black Series further enhances the success of the Black Series, which has thrilled our customers since 2007"The enhanced AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine delivers a maximum output of 464 kW and up to 635Nm of torque, affirming the SLS AMG Coupe Black Series as the most powerful high-performance car from AMG with a combustion engine.Its outstanding driving dynamics and uncompromised lightweight construction, in accordance with the 'AMG Lightweight Performance' strategy, determine that the SLS AMG Coupe Black Series accelerates from 0 - 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds, and attains a top speed of 315 km/h.Combining scintillating performance with meticulous attention to detail, the SLS AMG Coupe Black Series offers a highly emotional driving experience in every respect, with no half-hearted compromises.

Seen in public first by Carsguide in AMG's German hometown of Affalterbach, the SLS Black Series - prior to being flown to the Los Angeles motor show for its public debut - has filled its 2013 quota of five and Mercedes Australia is scrambling for more.  The fifth rendition in the Black Series family is here in the second half of 2013 and Mercedes-Benz Australia already has five orders. “As it stands, our 2013 allocation is already allocated to customers,” says spokesman Jerry Stamoulis. “We are now talking to AMG and attempting to secure more to fulfil a current wait list. “Realistically the total number will not exceed 10 cars for Australia. “The final price has not been set but it's likely to be similar to the SL65 Black Series which was around $700,000.”  The new SLS Black Series, inspired by the track-only SLS GT3, showed itself at Affalterbach finished in Solar Beam metallic paint and layered with exposed carbon-fibre components, black wheels and gold brake calipers. Compared with the standard SLS, the Black Series is lower, hunkered down on its fat wheels and aggressive with its highlights of shining carbon fibre, its dominant rear spoiler and the brightness of its moor show colour. It looked like a glowing ember in the centre of an enormous, otherwise vacant warehouse amongst AMG's factories. AMG engineer Alexander Weber says its specifications are closer to a GT3 car than a road car. “But the Black Series has a more powerful engine,” he says. It has a 6.2-litre M159 V8 engine with 464kW (631hp) - up 44kW on the SLS - but torque has been clipped back to 635Nm, down 15Nm on the SLS.  Part of the reason for the torque drop is simply that the coupe doesn't need it because it has a lower final drive ratio and weighs 100kg less than the standard SLS. Weber says the transaxle's drive ratio is 4.44, lower than the standard SLS at 3.67. “The steering ratio is also shorter.” The engine is redlined at 8000rpm, up from 7200rpm in the normal SLS, allowing it to hit 100km/h from rest in 3.6 seconds and onwards to 315km/h. It has launch control - with software specifically tailored for this car - that allows for a 10 per cent slip for better acceleration.  “We changed a lot in the engine,” says Weber. “It has a new intake manifold - made shorter - and new valve gear that is a lot lighter. The oil circuit is new and so are the engine bearings. “We have reduced back pressure and fitted a 100 per cent titanium exhaust system. “There is an improved cooling system that was developed for the race track.” Much of the performance increase has come from the weight-loss program. Weber says the weight has been dropped by 100kg to 1550kg. “The torque tube for the engine drive from the front mid-mounted engine to the rear transaxle is now made of carbon fibre,” he says. “Previously it was aluminium and now the weight has come down to 13kg from 26kg.” Carbon-fibre and carbon compounds feature prominently, including trim in the cabin. It has compound carbon brake rotors and the rear spoiler is made of carbon fibre and tested in a wind tunnel to achieve downforce up by 40 per cent on the normal SLS. Each wheel is forged and 1kg lighter than the normal wheels. In total there is a 16kg weight loss over the normal car because of the wheels and the compound carbon brake rotors. Tyres are Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 measuring 275/35ZR19 at the front and 325/30ZR20 at the rear.  Weber says the car has hydraulic engine dampers that are specific only to the Black Series. “These solve problems with preventing weight distribution as the engine moves during driving,” he says. “It means no two parts are moving against each other and therefore don't change the weight distribution and therefore don't affect the handling. “This makes the Black Series a quicker car on the race track.” When asked, Weber says that other AMG cars may get this system to improve handling. The SLS Black Series is 26mm wider at the rear and 13mm wider at the front compared with the standard SLS. “You can see this in the additional bulges over the wheels and the rear indicators which are sunk into the fender, not flush like the standard car,” Weber says. “The tracks are also wider - in fact, wider than a GT3 car.” Mercedes-Benz Australia says the car will arrive in Australia from the second half of next year and that most of the buyers who have placed orders are previous AMG owners. The SLS Black Series is the fifth of this model line-up to be produced by AMG. The company started the Black Series with the SLK55 in 2006, following it with the CLK63 in 2007, SL65 in 2008 and C63 Coupe in 2011. Mercedes-AMG chairman Ola Kallenius says the latest Black Series “is a perfect study in the 100 per cent transfer of technology and engineering from motorsport to the road”. He says the new gull-wing is “the ultimate choice for fast laps and highly emotional driving experiences” and is the “most dynamic gull-wing model of all time”.  

Unveiled globally yesterday, the SLS AMG GT variants slip into the middle of the range under the GT3 track day version - and have filched some of its hardcore aspects, with more power, race-tuned suspension and a tweaked transmission. The ‘entry level’ SLS AMG’s 6.3-litre V8 remains as does the 650Nm peak torque, but with power boosted 21kW to 441kW. Mercedes-Benz says the GT gets to 100km/h in just 3.6 seconds – 1.1 seconds faster than the standard SLS AMG, and has a top speed of 319km/h (electronically limited). To accompany the power lift, the seven-speed AMG dual-clutch transmission has been recalibrated for faster shifts in Manual mode, with newly developed gear change logic and optimised transmission control shaving off the shift time for each change. The transmission’s automatic double-declutching on downshifts is function when shifting down is also more definite and faster. And sounds even better, the Mercedes statement says.  Experience gained in racing the SLS AMG GT3 has gone into the GT’s new adaptive performance suspension set-up, with stiffer springs and specially-tuned electronically-adjustable dampers added to the twin aluminium wishbones front and rear. The selectable ride control has two track-focused modes: Sport for “bumpy tracks like Nordschleife, which requires higher suspension travel” and Sport plus for “level surfaces such as Hockenheim”. The SLS AMG GT rolls on unique 20-in alloy wheels with red brake calipers, while gloss black accents inside and out, set off with red interior touches - and the GT badging on the decklid -- set it apart from the standard Gullwing. The cars have an October on-sale schedule for European markets, priced at the equivalent of $260,000 for the coupe and $270,000 for the roadster. Don’t look for it here, though, because it won’t be arriving in Australia. “We’re not taking it,” Mercedes-Benz spokesman Jerry Stamoulis says. “We could have the GT but have opted not to take it as we’re putting our hand up for something that’s coming a little bit later that we think will be a little bit more desirable in our market. It will be more powerful.” Stamoulis would not  go into any further information, but the next arrival it could be the SLS AMG e-cell – or if you’re talking really desirable it could even be something as tasty as the Black Series rumoured to be testing in Europe.  

Real-world driving moves a giant step closer to the gaming world when car racing simulator Gran Turismo 5 goes 3D in November.The Gran Turismo franchise has crafted a reputation for unmatched vehicle presentation and driving realism, world-class racers and weekend warriors all use the game to learn the tracks, and the long-awaited fifth model promises to lift the standard again.A bootload of technical innovation translates into the most realistic driving experience this side of a track day, and there's a chance to win a Mercedes-Benz SLS "Gullwing" supercar.There are 1000, yes, 1000, photo-realistically rendered vehicles ready to roll on 70 tracks, ranging from radical rally cars to regular production models. The list includes more than 800 cars, with many from previous versions of the game, along with 200 "premium" models that faithfully depict everything from driving dynamics — data loggers captured the acceleration, braking and handling of the real cars on the real tracks — right down to the interior fabric and plastic textures.That level of detail inevitably will drop a fraction if you play the game in 3D, but it is still high enough to encourage makers such as Ferrari to licence their cars for digital reproduction.Then there's the dirt. It sticks. That mightn't be a big deal to average gamers, racers can put their cars through the carwash to clean them up, but the accumulated grime, water spatters and scrape marks reflect the level of commitment the game's creator, Polyphony Digital's guru Kazunori Yamauchi, to generate near true-to-life detail.Vehicle damage also will make its mark. One of the criticisms of earlier Gran Turismo games was that hitting the walls or other drivers slowed the cars, but didn't mark them. Now there will be visual and mechanical consquences in a crash, with a physics engine calculating the speed and angle of impact to determine the severity of the damage.The standard cars will have a basic damage system, while the premium models will have a more detailed system, right down to tearing panels off the cars.Other innovations include online play for up to 16 racers; night racing, with the option of high and low beam headlights on the premium cars; and the ability to look around (if using a PlayStation Eye).The game will launch in three flavours: a standard version, a collector's edition with special artwork and five "ChromeLine" performance-enhanced cars and the signature edition. The signature version will be packaged in a contoured steel case finished in Mercedes-Benz SLS "Obsidian Black" paintwork, with a coffee table book showing the cars and tracks in the game and six extra "Stealth" cars, including the McLaren F1 and SLS Gullwing, along with a scale model of the SLS machine and a USB key with a video showing the collaboration between Mercedes and Polyphony.For more details on the game and how to win the Gullwing, go to www.gran-turismo.com.THE CARSVirtually every carmaker in the world is on the GT5 bandwagon, with Porsche as the only notable absentee. Ferrari has loosened its notoriously tight hold on its image to officially allow the 458 Italia to get a run, while Bugatti and Lamborghini also feature for the first time. Electric cars also earn a start, led by the Tesla Roadster, while hybrids such as the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight return.THE TRACKSThere are 20 sites and 70 tracks to play with in GT5, from the Nurburgring to Daytona and the Top Gear test track. The Top Gear track alone took more than two years of coding, with Yamauchi admitting the development team had several big crashes — just like The Stig — while capturing data. Equally the Nurburgring circuit is as realistically reproduced as possible, right down to the graffiti — though Sony had to delete some of the more profane slogans.

When Mercedes-Benz Australia announced pricing for its stunning new SLS AMG "Gullwing" earlier this week, it was almost $40,000 lower than its forecast $500,000. At $464,000, Mercedes-Benz Australia managing director, Horst von Sanden, is tipping an increase in deposits from prospective buyers, many of them collectors. The first cars are due to arrive within months. As many SLS's are expected to be driven at weekends and race days, owners will also get a specially made car cover and battery recharging equipment. The company's allocation of just 50 cars has blown out to 70 and the Australian operation is trying to secure more cars. Following its world premiere at the Frankfurt International Motor Show last year, production of the SLS is now well under way at Sindelfingen, Germany - the largest Mercedes-Benz passenger car production plant.  "The SLS AMG has been extremely well received by our customers in Australia with over forty orders already locked in," von Sanden says. "Despite the fact that the first customer cars have not yet arrived and with deliveries not expected until August the order book is filling fast. Even in advance of the actual market launch, orders have considerably exceeded our expectations. Given the impressive demand we are experiencing for this special car our stock allocation for 2010 could well be insufficient." The SLS features an aluminium spaceframe body with gullwing doors that tips the scales at just 1620kg. It is powered by an AMG-built 6.3-litre V8 front-mid-engine developing 420kW and 650Nm. There is dry sump lubrication, seven-speed double-declutch transmission in a transaxle configuration and sports suspension. The SLS has a top speed of 317km/h and zero to 100km/h sprint time of just 3.8 seconds.

We have seen hybrid cars, supercars, electric cars and even a tiny three-seat city runabout from Gordon Murray in Britain, a man who made his name and fame designing world championship winning grand prix cars for Brabham and McLaren. What's most surprising is that the Frankfurt show does not begin until the back end of next week. Still, that has not stopped the world's carmakers doing major teases and even major previews ahead of the official opening of Europe's biggest car show of 2009. This week we have first pictures and details of the Mercedes-Benz SLS, while BMW Group has already revealed its plug-in diesel-electric hybrid concept car and shown the Mini coupe it will soon put into production. We have also had teasers on an electric Audi R8 and some special green cars from Volkswagen, and even a Peugeot version of Mitsubishi's plug-in iMiEV, which will become Australia's first commercially-available electric car before the end of the year. It's big news and surprising stuff at a time when the world is still crawling back from the global economic meltdown and the organisers of the Tokyo Motor Show in October - which traditionally tries to trump Frankfurt - are talking-down their 2009 event. Follow Paul Gover on Twitter!

The first official flight of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG begins this week, although it will not reach cruising altitude until production reaches top gear next year following a preview on the opening day of the Frankfurt Motor Show in a fortnight.The German supercar is already confirmed with a soaring pricetag beyond $500,000 and now Benz has revealed the road-ready car and its full technical specification.The obvious highlight is the upward-opening 'gullwing' doors that - like the front-end styling - take their inspiration from the classic Mercedes SL coupe of the 1950s. But the 21st century gullwing is a thoroughly modern machine with an aluminium space-frame body, a 420 kiloWatt V8 engine set just ahead of the two-seater cabin, 19-inch front and 20-inch rear alloys, and AMG's first seven-speed dual-clutch manu-matic transmission.Much of the early talk about the gullwing — no-one seriously expects it to be called the SLS - is about the styling, from the unique doors to the fifties-inspired air intakes and the muscular way the body is wrapped around the wheels. But the GLS is an AMG road rocket and that means it is a genuine supercar with a top speed which has to be held back to 317km/h and a 0-100km/h sprint time of 3.8 seconds. In some ways the SLS AMG is a successor to the McLaren-Mercedes SLR, but it is around one-third of the price and is a full-on Benz production, not a collaboration with its Formula One partner."The obvious difference is that the SLS is available in right-hand drive. So we have an allocation of 50 cars in the first year, in a total production run of around 1200 cars," says David McCarthy, spokesman for Mercedes-Benz Australia."One thing the SLR demonstrated was technology, and it was a step along the road to this car. The SLR was a joint effort, but the SLS is entirely a product of AMG and Mercedes, so it's one company. It's a demonstration, more than anything else, of what the company can do."Customers are already lined up in Australia for the first gullwings, which are expected to land in the first quarter of next year and to feature at the exclusive AMG drive day held at Albert Park on the Australian Grand Prix circuit. "Yes, we are holding sizeable deposits on the car. We have orders currently for five cars and we think the biggest problem is that our allocation will not be big enough," McCarthy says. "We do not have the final price yet but it will be competitive in the class. Companies like Ferrari and others make supercars, but we're talking a production run of around 1200 cars and that's pretty serious numbers."Mercedes spent a lot of time ensuring the gullwing is both fast and refined, a major criticism of the track-tuned SLR. It still weighs 1620 kilograms and the seats are only 369mm above the road, but the seat backs are made from magnesium, there is a useable glovebox and a Bang&Olufsen surround sound system. "It is unmistakably a Mercedes. There is an awful lot of 300SL in the design, but it is not a copy. It is a homage, but it moves the history along," says McCarthy."When we specified the cars there were two items we've made standard - the fitted car cover and the trickle charger. It means the car can sit in the garage and be ready for instant action."Carsguide will have a first drive of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in November. For more pictures and full details of the car go to www.carsguide.com.au 

But what do you call a gullwing without its gullwing doors? Officially the car is going to be called the Mercedes SLS anyway when it is revealed in production form at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month, ahead of sales from the first half of 2010. There have been many pictures of the SLS, including some official leaks from Benz headquarters in Germany, but now Carparazzi has caught a car which is likely to become the SLS convertible. It is pictured at a small mining town in Nevada, USA during a trip which saw three SLS test cars - two gullwing coupes and the single convertible - also pass by Monterey in California. Carparazzi believes the California sweep could have been a press tease by Benz, as the three cars stopped briefly outside a hotel where motoring journalists were attending another launch event. The latest pictures show Mercedes is slowly removing the camouflage over the SLS, with more of the lights, grille and air intakes now on view. The convertible pictures reveal a powered soft top roof, not a metal cabrio roof, with conventional doors in place of the gullwings. European sources say the convertible version of the SLS is at least two years away from sale, although it could easily follow the gullwing coupe with a motor show tease, most likely at the Detroit Motor Show in January.