jrcart

So, this morning I get a call from a friend who just returned from a 5 weeks business trip to Europe. He is a Porsche guy, not too in touch with AMG's but he knows his cars. He says he spotted a widebody C63, with what he decribed as "monster rubber", without any badging and tape over the head lights (bad disguise?). I just spent a while googling C63 widebody kits and did not come up with anything. I have come to two conclusions, one, this could be somebody that fabricated and installed some sort of DTM body on their C63, but that does not explain the taped headlights. My second guess is that this is possibly the next Black Series

Have any of you guys heard or seen anything? I have a call into a friend of mine at MBUSA, he actually told me about the SL 65 Black Series months before details were released to the public but have not heard back.

Baus

A C63 AMG Black Series would be awesome, as long as they don't make it too unattainable or too much more than the regular C63. I'm thinking around $80,000 with a bump in horsepower.

yooker

Weight reduction? Grippier tires? Brake ducts? No back seats? I am interested

Carl Lassiter

Most likely a Brabus test mule

LZH

Agree with Carl....a four door sedan would be a major departure from all the things that make a Black Series what it is. You never know though...but, it would really dilute the Black Series mystique.

norb

Delete the back seats on a 4 door? That's crazy.

qship5

+1

A four door with no back seat would look pretty silly.

hhughes1

Don't think we will be seeing a C class Black Series but I 'd take one of these if I could afford it.

yooker

I believe the SLK may be the next Black Series

nrgy

I don't think a C63 BS would detract from the mystique of the label at all. In fact, I think it would be very appropriate if Mercedes unveiled a C63 Black Series considering the current DTM car is based on the W204.

Perhaps that's why they didn't give the current car rear fender flares, maybe they were saving that for the BS Anyhow, I wouldn't mind driving around a street version of this...

CDP

They already made the SLK Black Series ...

Quadcammer

hows that exactly?

LZH

Dude come on.....they made it already. Only avail in Europe.


The only racing MB/AMG cares about is DTM and F1. The car pictured above is a FULL tube framed race car and is about as similar to it's roadgoing C class as a NASCAR - they share nothing in common whatsoever. Sure, it would be cool if AMG made a C63....but the Black Series name means it's a track ready car that can be driven daily and has what we've all come to expect from a MB. Typically speaking, a four door sedan will never make a good track car unless you ruin it's streetability. I really don't think we will be seeing another BS model for a long time... considering the lackluster CLK BS debut (plenty new cars still sitting on lots) and the same with the SL BS. Bad timing with the worldwide economy being what it is and the amount of R&D that goes into these cars would not surprise me if they actually loose money with every BS made. AMG has already done their BS treatment to all the cars in their model line that make sense. I'm not saying they won't make a C63 BS...but all things considered, I would be surprised and disappointed if they did.

yooker

Sorry, I am not very in tune with the European market.

LZH

your sig avatar would suggest otherwise.

TA-9FF

SLK was the FIRST BS.

It was actually a massive failure.

For those that don't know the timeline:

1.) SLK55 AMG BS
2.) CLK63 AMG BS
3.) SL65 AMG BS

yooker

I guess it just slipped my mind, I know they used it as F1 safety car but completely forgot they also made a Black Series.

On a side note, how well do you think the C63 would do on a road course with no modifications? Do you think the stock brakes are capable of handling the weight of the car?

nrgy

It wasn't my intention to suggest that the C63 or any BS variant does or would share anything in common with the DTM car other than perhaps a few bits and pieces like the grille and tail lights. I'm just saying I don't think it would ruin the image of the Black Series label if they came out with a C version considering the CLK was and the C now is featured in the DTM series.

I agree a 4 door car typically does not make a good track car without sacrifices, yet I don't think anyone expected the CLK BS to do as well as it does considering its weight, which is very close to the standard C63's weight...and weight distribution are nearly the same with the CLK @ 56/44 and the C @ 54/46. If they were to shave 400-500 lbs from the C63, upgrade the suspension to coilovers, 2-piece rotors all around, wider and stickier rubber shrouded by larger fenders, and bump the engine back to 500+ hp I think this car would be a beast on the track and still be streetable. But I understand what you are saying. I don't want to see the BS label slapped onto every model either and have the AMG badge mean nothing without it. I just think IF they were to make another BS, the C makes sense to me. I don't think we'll see one either though given the current economy.

jrcart

They are correct, the first AMG Black Series was a 2007 SLK Black Series but it was not sold in North America.

AMG Dictator

Why was it a massive failure?

They sold a bunch of them and they use it as a part of the AMG Driving school.

A couple of people that I know that took classes and rented one loved it.

jrcart

I would have to agree slightly with some of your comments as well as some of Lukes comments. I don't think a C63 Black Series would be a bad idea, I think it would be a huge hit in the Europeon nations becuase of the success the C sedan has had in the DTM series. If they could make it look even close to a DTM rce car and keep it priced near $100k (US) they would sell the hell out of them IMO. I think $100-105K and 525 hp would be the magic number and would be in line with the hp gains on previous Black Series models over their "standard" AMG counterparts.

Luke brought up a lot of good points as well, the biggest being timing with the world economy, and the lack luster sales of previous Black Series models. I would assume the world economy has something to do with the lack luster sales of previous Blacks, but even if things were booming with the economy a $310k Mercedes is only going to appeal to so many people.

In my opinion, the C makes good sense for the next Black, it does tie in with the DTM race cars, and it should be able to be sold at a price point that would be palletable for many more buyers.

Glock Guru

Now thanks Bad Ace!!

Glock Guru

Since the U.S. is the bigest market for the AMG products, maybe MB / AMG will field a Nascar team in 2010.



-Troy

TA-9FF

Exactly. It's only good on the track, but can't do much else everywhere else due to it's massively hardened suspension and ride quality.

Even AMG admitted it was a good first try, but nevertheless not all that great.

Hence, the CLK and SL BS' were developed to have much better everyday livability, without sacrificing it's track-honed skills.

mrtesting

All Mercedes-Benz vehicles are due for a facial change in 2010 I believe, so the sightings could be the proof of that. The E-Class with the new face was revealed not long ago, and photos of the S-Class with a new face have been surfacing.