Some time ago, the supposed "black series"/ "SLC" / HWA project was all over the net. Not much has been mentioned. Dealer is in the dark and ever since my dealer swore that the sl65 wasn't going to make it into production in 03 when I got my 55, I've never really paid too much attention to them other than commission collecting data entry personel. Anybody have any updates?

 

Suspect SL63 Blk is more imminent arrival in CY08....dealers have been premarketing that car for mths....

AMG prob considering how many units of SL63 Blk it can sell...and at what price...esp w/supposed $200Kish Ferrari CA GT (w/retractable hardtop) arriving CY08 (in mass vols like ?5-10K cars/yr globally).....

When is 65 motor being replaced w/a new, high-tech, much lighter V12 motor?

Will AMG stay w/NA, linear, light motors like 63....or move back to FI motors?

Would guess that at $200K++ price points, AMG runs into issues of brand power and daily-useability (esp CA hill-compatible ground clearance and perf tires that are wet-compatible vs CA winter use).....suspect many guys at those price points prefer a $150K-$200K AMG that is safe, daily-useable and low-profile for daily commuting 365d/yr in CA weather....and would poss use whatever latest/greatest Ferrari as their wkend car for more risk-seeking, playful driving....

Interesting is that Ferrari has remarkably advanced the daily-useability of its recent cars, such as its 4000lb 599, which has excellent ground clearance; 27+gall fuel tank; Bluetooth/iPod, etc...in fact, aside from its rather dubious passive safety, 599 is about as daily-useable as a CL63 (and more daily-useable than any Porsche)....yet a 4000lb CLK63 BS suffers from poor ground clearance; non wet-compatible tires; a non-commute-relevant fuel tank capac; ?lack of Bluetooth, etc.....

More questions than answers at this stage.....

 

There are two cars. Namely the (probable) SL(C) AMG Signature Series (NOT Black Series). And the HWA supercar. The SL(C) is based on the R230 with a fixed roof and a lot of CLK DTM tupperware. The HWA supercar is being tested as a mule in a Viper body seen testing in the US and Europe.

 

I think Sprins is correct here. That widebody SL that we've been seeing is likely going to be a Signature Series car which is a step above the Black Series cars. It is even more modified than the Black Series vehicles.

M

 

check out the new autoweek issue. it has a redering and mule pictures.

 

AMG has sure lost its exclusivity! Its just like another Lexus/Toyota or Infiniti/Nissan deal! I knew that exclusivity was dead when they tried to come out with the R class AMG! Come on now, I know you've got stock piles of 63 engines, why stick it in every car, minivan, or entry level car? Its like MB is whoring out its 63 engine and sticking it in any "hole" it'll squeeze into! I understand that the bean counters are responsible but whatever happened to one car, one engine? I guess even ferrari to some point have squeezed their enzo engine in the 599... nevertheless, the price of exclusivity has surely gone up faster than the price of gas. The HWA project will hopefully live up to the expectations and competition, concidering the price. Hopefully they've learned from MB cl65 debacle of overpricing!

 

Exclusivity may be cute for low/no-tech items of bespoke clothing or limited-run Pateks, but cars are tech devices entailing massive personal safety/liability risks, unlike a smartphone....

Need mass scale to develop leading-edge tech systems/networks; engineer robust reliability; perform extensive safety crash testing (and gain real-world crash data); debug tech based upon real-world use/warranty repair feedback; generate enough profits to pay for smart engineers, more R&D and advcd, automated mfg plants, etc etc.....

IMO, would rather have mass-scale production of any car....likely will have better, safer, more reliable...and overall cheaper/better value product.....resale value means little in overall value equation ....today's cars have awfully cheap MSRPs/lease terms (look at car prices/leases from early '90s and adjust for inflation and primitive tech/perf/safety/daily-useability of era).....

Tech-intensive cars face ever-shorter half-lives....similar phenom as to who would want today's latest/greatest smartphone (no matter how "exclusive") 2-3 yrs from now????? Does anyone want an extended warranty for a smartphone? What's the trade-in value of a 2-3yo smartphone? Recall those $1K Motorola StarTacs from 10 yrs ago....

 

I understand that no matter what, mb is still in the business of making money. But are the day's of having a "halo" sports car gone? MB seems to have an identity crisis. They have the Mclaren SLR, SL65 and now, Black Series, and SLC project from HWA. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that these engineers are building these cars for our consumption but it just seems a bit crowded at the top