It’s The New Black

Written by Nicolas Bates

Mercedes-Benz has been the automobile of choice for an extremely eclectic bunch; from royalty, to high-end executives to sports and movie stars, and, well, anyone who wants one of the nicest automobiles money and can buy…and actually has that money. Mercedes-Benz has always been known to make vehicles of absolute luxury that are still among the sportiest and quickest around. Throw in their subsidiary, Mercedes-AMG, and what you get is an even more sports-oriented vehicle, with the same amount of class. Bearing that description in mind, know that Mercedes has just released the 2012 C63 AMG Couple Black Series—a car that is just as every bit menacing as the name would insinuate.

Upon first glance, it’d be fairly easy to target the car as just another C63 Coupe (as if that isn’t half the beauty of Mercedes’ AMG division, right there); however, upon closer inspection the flared fenders come in to view, the aggressive front fascia with a splitter comes in to view and those little numbers (with such a big meaning) come in to view: “6.2.” Only this car is a tad more special than just any old AMG; it’s a Black Series. What is a Black Series AMG you say? It is an AMG Mercedes on steroids, that’s what.

Named after the American Express Centurion card, offered in exclusivity to those who buy Gulfstreams by the dozen, AMG Black Series cars are exceptionally rare. The C63 AMG Coupe Black Series will have a cap of 100 cars shipped to the states, with the grand total cap around 500-600. Cars will sell for $125,000, or close to it.

The standard C63 was already crafted to be a quick and sports-oriented car. So how much more powerful and race-driven is the C63 AMG Black Series in comparison? The C63 AMG Black Series is powered by a 6.3-L DOHC V8 with variable valve timing. The standard C63 puts out 451 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. Truly, not bad…however, the AMG Black Series is capable of putting out 520 hp and 457 lb-ft of torque. The AMG Black Series is said to be able to reach 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds; however, Car and Driver Magazine test drivers were able to launch the car from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds. The car will have a limited top speed of 186 mph. And, like many hot ticket sports cars on the market, the C63 AMG Black Series will be unavailable with an actual stick in which to shift. Instead, a seven-speed MCT automatic handles gear-changing duties. It is said a larger transmission cooler was installed because the standard C63 tends to go into gearbox limp mode when abused in hot weather. And what’s a C63 AMG Black Series you can’t abuse? Yes, that’s right, virtually useless. To get you back down to a “civilized” pace, the six-piston calipers up front and four-piston calipers out back, will do their job, and smother the front 15.4” and rear 14.2” disks until you bring the 3,800 lb. car to rest. Suspension has been beefed up, of course, and the car is outfitted with coilovers on all fours. The front and rear have Black Series-specific anti-rolls bars for reducing that grody ol’ body roll.

There really is no denying how sexy the C63 AMG Black Series is. First off, you have full stealth capabilities with this car. This car has class, and doesn’t advertise what it possesses. This car looks like an unsuspecting standard C63, but will challenge most cars that pull up to a light. This car is virtually a chameleon. Take it to a red carpet event, or thrash it around the corkscrew at Laguna Seca. No matter what it is you choose to do with the car, I guarantee it will be happy doing it.

For more info go to:
mercedes-amg.com