Mercedes-Benz, or more like Mercedes-AMG GmbH joins the ranks of car manufacturers with dual clutch transmissions with their new Mercedes-Benz SL 63 AMG. The 7-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT (Multi-Cluch Technology) uses twin clutches to swap gears and moves off with a wet start-up clutch instead of a torque converter.

The AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed gearbox has 4 drive modes - C (Comfort), S (Sport), S+ (Sport plus), and M (Manual). Throttle response and shifts in comfort mode are “softer”, while in S mode shifts are faster and the clutches bite quicker. Shifts are approximately 20% faster than in Comfort mode, and for a further 20% speed improvement you can use S+. Using M mode, a further 10% is cut down for a total of 50% over the C mode - shifts only take 100 milliseconds in the M mode.

Downshifts in S, S+ and M modes use precise double-declutching and can downshift multiple gears, straight from 7th down to 3rd for example. This gives the drive a more sporty feel as the engine and exhaust sound great during double declutching, and also serves to minimize load-change reactions during downshifts.

The gearbox also has a Race Start function. It’s basically a way to get off the starting line with maximum acceleration, and everything including optimum launch revs, the launch itself, and then subsequent shifts are taken care of you, all the way to top speed.

This gearbox is only available in the new SL 63 AMG in which it is mated to a 6.3 liter normally aspirated V8, producing 525 horsepower at 6,800rpm and 630Nm of torque at 5,200rpm. The engine revs up to 7,200rpm, one of the more higher revving V8s around until BMW’s new V8 in the E90/E92 BMW M3 was unveiled.

The SL 63 AMG’s high performance sibling is the force inducted SL 65 AMG powered by a 6.0 liter twin-turbocharged V12 putting out a colossal 1,000Nm of torque and 612 horsepower. This engine is only paired with the 5-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT, as I don’t think the AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT or the Mercedes-Benz 7G-Tronic can take that huge amount of torque, and I don’t think many gears are needed with that amount of torque anyway. As it is the SL 65 AMG can go from 0 to 100km/h in 4.2 seconds.

Check out the fastest, most powerful, most exclusive road car Mercedes has ever built – the SL65 AMG Black Series.

While official pictures are not yet available, early indications and these amazing spy shots make it obvious that this is one very special supercar.

Powered by a tuned evolution of the 6.0-litre turbocharged V12 available in the SL600, the SL65 AMG Black Series produces around 660bhp and 1000Nm of torque. Top Speed is expected to be 200mph - a first for any AMG product - while the 0-60mph sprint is likely to take less than 4.0-seconds.

To make the most of this performance, AMG engineers have completely reinvented the SL's chassis, suspension and bodywork to ensure the car offers handling to match it's awesome pace.

Fully adjustable suspension, ceramic brakes and a lightweight, race inspired interior are just some of the tantalising features tipped to complete the package - as is bespoke carbon fibre bodywork.

As a result the SL65 looks astonishing lapping the famous Nurburgring circuit in Germany. The car is at least eight inches wider than standard, and gets flared wheel arches to cover huge, magnesium alloy wheels. To help cool the engine, there are huge vents cut into the bonnet and front wings, as well as an ultra wide front grille.

Perhaps the most radical change, however, is that the car is no longer even a coupé cabriolet. To ensure the chassis is ultra stiff, engineers have added a substantial roll cage, which is now cloaked in a one piece carbon fibre roof. This new roof not only saves weight, but also improves the aerodynamics too, as the lid has been reprofiled and stretches further over the rear of the car than before.

To add to the aerodynamic package, the SL also gets a moveable rear wing plus huge venturi tunnels underneath the car which promise to aid stability at speed.

Mercedes has yet to announce the cost of the car, yet as the newcomer is likely to exceed the performance of the £300,000 SLR, its also likely to exceed its price.

Mick Jerry je napisal/-a:Kolikor vem je ravno v tem catch, da bo avto precej cenejši od SLRa, pa hkrati cenejši.

Ja/ne?

It won't make its official debut until this summer, but the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series is already staking its claim as one of the most extreme Mercedes-Benzes ever built.

It starts with a 6.0-liter twin turbo V12 engine. In the standard SL65 AMG it pumps out a healthy 604 horsepower, but in the Black Series the same engine gets cranked up to 670 hp. The torque peak won't increase, but given that it already sits at 738 pound-feet, there's really isn't a need for more. The five-speed automatic transmission, torque converter and all, will remain, but it will get two Sport shift programs, with the second delivering quicker gearchanges timed at just 250 milliseconds.

In addition to the added power, the engineers at Mercedes-Benz concentrated on reducing the car's weight. AMG's engineers chucked the heavy airbag suspension setup on the standard SL65 for steel coil springs, lost the Active Body Control system and made the Black's trunk, vented hood, roof, vented front fenders and bumpers out of carbon fiber.

Weight savings also turned the car into a coupe. Instead of a heavy folding hardtop, the Black Series gets a fixed roof fortified with a fully integrated roll cage. The changes reduce the car's overall weight by 570 pounds and give it a power-to-weight ratio of 1 horsepower per 6.1 pounds.

During a sneak peak of the car during the 2008 New York Auto Show, Thomas Rappel, the CEO of AMG, also told us that the folding roof was also nixed because it didn't fit between the Black's massive 325/30ZR20 rear tires. The sharp-eyed will also notice that the SL65 Black is 5-10 inches wider (AMG wouldn't tell us exactly how wide) than a drop-top SL and its roof line is now longer. "We wanted it to look more like a proper coupe," Rappel said during a tour of the car.

The brakes and steering system are identical to those found in the Performance Package offered on the recently introduced SL63 AMG. One noticeable change will be the wheel and tires package. Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT tires will be fitted, and the front tires measure "only" 265/35ZR19s. The Black will also get two suspension settings which we'd bet are stiff and stiffer.

It all adds up to a coupe that will be able to go from zero to 60 mph in less than 4.0 seconds and have a top speed of 198 mph. A retractable spoiler will help to generate 77 pounds of downforce above 60 mph, which is the speed it magically rises from the deck lid.

Interior changes are minimal. It will get the same AMG seats as the standard model (the carbon seats have no side airbags so they won't make it into U.S.-spec cars) along with a flat-bottom steering wheel, an Alcantara headliner and a navigation system. Black will be the only interior color offered, and the carbon-fiber trim on the door panels and console is appropriate. The projected price is more than $225,000 and there will be no options. Expect to see the official unveil this summer, with sales starting this fall. Only 350 units will be built.

"We strive to supply American customers with what they want," Rappel told us. "And in this case what they want is performance."

Dr.M3 je napisal/-a:Meni je (skor) lepši kot SLR.
Sam tisti spojler malce pokvari res izreden design.

Dr.M3 je napisal/-a:Meni je (skor) lepši kot SLR.
Sam tisti spojler malce pokvari res izreden design.