The letters AMG carry a certain cache with enthusiasts of performance-oriented Mercedes-Benz automobiles. The name represents the German luxury automaker's high-performance line, atop which have in recent years sat two parallel models: the SLS AMG and the AMG Black Series.
The former stands as the first model developed from the ground up specifically as an AMG model. The latter represents the ultimate level of modifications which the AMG studio can perform on a Mercedes. Now the two have met in one distinct flagship supercar.
Just revealed ahead of its public debut at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series is a focused performance vehicle unlike anything the Silver Star automaker has ever made.
Sitting in between the existing SLS AMG road car and the GT3 racing version, the Black Series model is immediately identifiable by its more aggressive, race-derived aerodynamics package. That includes a splitter jutting out from underneath the front bumper, side skirts, a rear diffuser, a large rear wing and small winglets, all of which are made of lightweight carbon fiber and aim to keep the car firmly planted on the tarmac.
The enlarged wheel arches pack larger 20-inch wheels, which themselves pack carbon-ceramic brakes that keep the car's forward progress in check.
AMG has also tuned the 6.2-liter V8 engine from 563 horsepower up to 622 (albeit at the cost of 12 lb-ft of torque). With 154 pounds less weight to motivate than the SLS on which it's based, the more powerful Black Series model can accelerate to 62 miles per hour in just 3.6 seconds and can reach a top speed of 196 mph.
Those are some serious performance figures that promise to elevate the SLS AMG Black Series to its rightful place as the most extreme performance vehicle Mercedes has ever offered.
