We all have our own unique ways of celebrating major accomplishments. Some of us indulge in a fancy meal at our favorite restaurant after getting a graduate school acceptance letter. Others go out and buy a pricey gadget as a personal gift for landing a huge promotion. Mercedes-Benz recently pulled off quite a feat and is rewarding itself – and its customers – by building its own trophies.
Its World Championship 2014 Collector’s Edition SL63 AMGs commemorate the automaker winning this year’s Formula One World Championship. Drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg took home first and second place, respectively. They also helped the three-pointed star develop the specials you see here, which were unveiled at the German manufacturer’s Stars & Cars event in Stuttgart on Saturday, November 29.
I guess Porsche played nice and decided not to crash the party.
Mercedes will only build 19 of each model, in honor of the number of races in the season. Hamilton’s version of the SL63 is black; Rosberg’s is white – and its dash is signed by the man himself. Each roadster will be individually numbered and feature the name and layout of the track it represents. However, none of them will be tuned to make additional power. Not that the SL63 is short on that. For 2015, it generates 585 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque from its 5.5-liter, twin-turbo V8. Those stunning output figures will be transferred to the pavement through a seven-speed auto, a limited-slip differential, and rear-wheel drive.
If you happen to get one of these, it would be silly not to celebrate. I know the perfect way to do that: cook up some donuts that smell like expensive burnt rubber.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
