AMG's SLS goes black

The ink is still drying on the critical acclaim for its SLS supercar, but AMG is already preparing two hotter, lighter, faster versions -- one for GT racing and the other a road-going Black series SLS to be launched in 2013.

AMG sources insist there is more power to come from the 6.2-litre AMG V8 and that the Black series SLS could have as much as 610 horsepower -- a big leap from the standard car's 563.

Not only will it be more powerful, but the SLS Black will have more torque as well, and it is aiming at a 50kg weight reduction from the gull-winged supercar.

While pricing is still up in the air, AMG has set the SLS Black the target of lowering the SLS's 0-100km/h sprint from 3.8 seconds to just 3.5 and lifting the top speed from 317km/h to more than 330.

"More or less it's a must, and we will continue with the Black series because it's part of the brand now," AMG vehicle development head, Tobias Moers said.

"If you look at Porsche, they don't just do a 911. They do a GT3 and a GT2 and a Turbo and a GT3 RS. For now, we just have an SLS."

The suspension will be more track-focused than the wonderfully-versatile setup on the standard SLS and there will be aero tweaks to cope with the extra pace, including bigger braking ducts, flared wheel arches. The rear-mounted transaxle seven-speed DSG gearbox rules out a rear undertray for high-speed aero stability, so expect a reworked version of the pop-up rear wing on the standard car.

The Black Series is expected to form the basis of the proposed GT3 racing car, as Moers hinted with his next comment.

"It's possible for 8000 or even 8500rpm out of this engine," Moers said. "For GT3 racing, we don't need more than that and we could get the body down to 1200-and-something kilograms. That would be competitive."

Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at www.carsales.mobi