C63 Black Series: Road&Track Drives the Black
 

2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series - First Drive

The sharpest edge in the AMG arsenal.





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Monterey, California—Mercedes’ Black Series cars, in the words of AMG boss Ola Kallenius, represent “the sharpest edge of the arrow in the AMG arsenal.” Indeed these limited-production cars do, and I just had the pleasure of lapping the brand-new 2012 C63 Black Series around Mazda Raceway Laguna, one of the best road courses in America and one of 5-time DTM champ Bernd Schneider’s personal favorites.
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The experience was a blast, and my two sessions ended far too quickly. Whenever a large-displacement engine—in this case a non-dry sump version of the SLS’ 6.2-liter V-8 with 510 bhp—is installed in a relatively compact car, that’s a recipe for fun. But the C63 Black Series impressed me more with its superb handling, thanks largely to its significantly wider front and rear tracks, plus its specially tuned KW dampers and bushings that have been fine-tuned at the Nurburgring. The anti-roll bars, of note, are the same size as those on the standard C63, but the wheels and tires are much more aggressive; the red car I drove at the Laguna track was fitted with sticky Dunlop Sport Maxx Race MOs, size 255/35ZR-19 in front, 285/30ZR-19 in back, which along with an active cooler for the limited-slip differential comprise the optional AMG Track Package. For comparison, the standard C63 wears 235/40ZR-18 fronts and 255/35ZR-18 rears.







Fitted with the longer front control arms of the C63 and wheels with additional offset, the Black Series has an additional 1.6 in. of front track. In back, knuckles from the E63 help give the C63 Black Series an extra 3.1 in. of track. Wider fenders with blister flares accommodate this far more aggressive stance, and the adjustable rear wing of the optional AMG Aero Package is complemented by dive-plane winglets mounted just ahead of each front wheel. The folks at AMG say the Aero Package is functional, those front winglets helping to balance the effect of the rear wing…a good thing in a car with a limited top speed of 186 mph.
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All told, the C63 Black Series has a great look, and its hood is vented to allow engine heat to escape. The hand-assembled 90-degree 6208-cc V-8 is a gem, bursting to life quickly and then settling into a deep, burbly idle. The forged pistons, connecting rods and lightweight crankshaft come from the SLS AMG, all under the management of a new ECU that allows for a higher engine cutoff of 7200 rpm. Peak output is 510 bhp at 6800 rpm, and a healthy 457 lb.-ft. of torque arrives at 5000 rpm. A standard C63, for the record, puts out 451 bhp at 6500 rpm and 443 lb.-ft, of torque at 5000. While that’s quite a gain in power for the Black Series V-8, which has the same compression ratio, heads and camshafts, the folks at AMG say reduced gas pressure within the crankcase plays a significant role.
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Although a true manual transmission would be appreciated in the C63 Black Series, the 7-speed Speedshift automatic—which has a wet clutch pack in place of a torque converter—works well. It’s impossible to miss a shift, and it has the benefit of a launch control mode, What’s more, the Sport Plus mode practically feels clairvoyant, upshifting crisply near redline and perfectly blip-downshifting when you’re hard on the brakes and approaching, say, the blind entry for the infamous Corkscrew turn. At that point, you’re glad the C63 Black Series has massive 6-piston front brakes clamping large 15.4-in. iron rotors, aided by 14.2-in rears and a firm pedal that inspires stopping confidence. The car does carry much more speed into corners than you might initially expect, forcing the driver to recalibrate a bit.





On the track, the grip from the Dunlops is excellent, and the Black Series is very benign, although it does like to oversteer a bit. On decel and turn-in, the back end does like to gently come around, but the 50 percent locking factor of the limited-slip differential in deceleration (it’s 60 percent in acceleration) damps that yaw moment and helps make the car very controllable and ready for superb power-on exits.

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I ran the car with Sport Handling Mode on, as suggested by the AMG folks. This allows the C63 Black Series to slip and slide quite a bit, especially if you’re smooth with your inputs and approach limits gently. It’s remarkably fun, but provides a safety net if direly needed. Perfect, I say, for a blast down an unfamiliar canyon road. Given an extra session or two in the new Black Series, I would have switched everything off but I suspect the times would not have been any quicker.
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The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 Black Series, like its predecessors, will be built in very limited numbers, perhaps 1000. Cars go on sale in March, priced above $100,000 but not more than $135,000. It’s a very cool car, faster around the Nordschleife than the BMW M3 GTS, a model we don’t get in the U.S. We will not get the C63 Black Series’ superb single-piece Recaro seats; instead, we will get well-bolstered sport seats with side airbags. The back seat is also optional; by not ordering it, you save 55 lb.
What’s your choice—utility or lap times?

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Love everything except that rear wing!

Thanks for sharing!

And to echo all the complaints I've read about the normal C63 tires:

"But the C63 Black Series impressed me more with its superb handling, thanks largely to its significantly wider front and rear tracks, plus its specially tuned KW dampers and bushings that have been fine-tuned at the Nurburgring. The anti-roll bars, of note, are the same size as those on the standard C63, but the wheels and tires are much more aggressive; the red car I drove at the Laguna track was fitted with sticky Dunlop Sport Maxx Race MOs, size 255/35ZR-19 in front, 285/30ZR-19 in back, which along with an active cooler for the limited-slip differential comprise the optional AMG Track Package. For comparison, the standard C63 wears 235/40ZR-18 fronts and 255/35ZR-18 rears."

Grrr!! :smash:

I agree with comments re the wing. I would love to get the aero pack for the front flicks but the wing looks like it should be on a Supra. Why couldnt they have done something more classy like the CLK DTM's wing :nix:

I find the complaint about stock C63 tires kinda funny.

It's like complaining about Angelina Jolie because her ears are too small.

It's the cheapest and easiest to remedy....plus most of us here usually want to go for aftermarket wheels anyway....

Plus who doesn't rip through their first set in 6000 km's anyway

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True. However, why go to such great lengths to make the car extraordinary in every other way, then skimp on the tires?

^ Agreed!

They didn't "Just" change the tires. It sounds a bit more involved than that.

and you really shouldn't add more front downforce without adding more rear downforce. My guess it that rear wing is needed to actually generate additional grip with the front splitter and flics.

AMG doesn't seem like a compy to me that would stick a big wing on for the fun of it, it has a purpose.

If you don't like it just get the car without the aero package.

Or are you only buying for looks?

Do.Want.

I really want Top Gear to get their hands on one!!

I've been looking for those #'s for a while now. Looks like a MUCH more agressive LSD than the CLK BS, and even the almighty GT2/GT3 911's. The car's gonna be a handful on street tires and ESP off.

I want one.

on the rear wing
 

i plan on ordering it with the track package, removing the rear wing and either put up an aftermarket spoiler like vorsteiner(if produced) or the stock c63 coupe carbon fiber spoiler, it ruins the look of this beautiful car!

I really love the stance of this car. It just looks like it's ready to take on all challenges.

No thanks!!!!. I rather buy a C63 coupe, put my own rims, have it tune(less than $2000), change the tires to something sticky(whenever they wear out), put a suspension kit for $2000, put a rear LSD for less than $2000, and have 99% achieved with $65,000 in the bank.

We are going to break a lots of hearts at the tracks and roads courses. I can see anyone owning a regular C63(sedan or coupe) with a mere $$6,000-10,000 in basic mods just fishtailing these Black series.

The black series is a beautiful car, it has the nice mods but the wrong price tag. My .2c

For the $100k+ they couldnt make it more then 510hp? Why not get it closer to the SLS hp?:nix:

I agree with you that the C63 Black Series costs a lot compared to regular C63 with mods. However, although you can make your own track monster C63, it's not exclusive like the BS, so the value is in no way comparable.

Plus, I don't believe that your own pieced together, custom C63 is anywhere near as well engineered and dialed in as the Black Series. It's all experimental when you buy your own parts and make a custom car. Sure, great results can be had, but there are no guarantees.

The BS has a different suspension setup to match the wheel offset, to match the tires, it has a locking differential that locks up at a different percentage depending on if you are accelerating or decelerating, so it's really dialed in and that can't be replicated in the aftermarket. Piecing together an aftermarket project is not the same thing as engineering an OEM track focused car. Plus, this car has warranty, so that's another difference.

I'm going to see the C63 BS tomorrow in person at the AMG Preview Night for the LA auto show. Hopefully they have a US/CAN spec'd car there, which will be a bit different than the EURO version we all have seen so far .....

Then why would people buy the SLS? People who already have SLS AMG's would be pissed. The SLS is MB's flagship. They're not going to step on it's toes.

I stopped by the dealer today. Apparently only AMG centers will get these cars. He couldn't order one on his computer.

One is at the LA show. I was in it earlier today. If you're into bikes, the Davel on display with the new ML63 was beautiful.


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This. I've driven C63s with lots of suspension work, and none comes close to the handling, or grip level, of a BS. And that's a 4 year old CLK63 BS.

The $ gap isn't as big as you make it out to be comparing a base C63 vs fully loaded C63 BS.

The wing looks out of place.

You won't be tailing the BS, the big bank BS owners will be modding them too. Just like they do here with the weistec SC's