Mercedes-Benz SLS Black already sold out

The fastest Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG gullwing yet will arrive in Australia in the third quarter of 2013 priced around $700,000.

The SLS AMG Coupe Black Series – to give it its full name – debuted at the Los Angeles motor show overnight promising street-legal race-car behaviour, and it’s a proposition that has already got local AMG fans writing cheques.

“We expect the first SLS AMG Black Series to arrive during quarter three next year and our initial allocation of five are already allocated to customers,” said Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman Jerry Stamoulis.

“Pricing is yet to be confirmed but we expect similar pricing to the SL65 AMG Black Series ($680,000).

“We currently hold a waiting list and we're in the process of securing more but we don't expect the final number of SLS AMG Black Series to exceed a total of ten for our market.”

Motoring.com.au has already covered the Black’s mechanical spec in detail (http://www.carsales.com.au/news/2012/prestige-and-luxury/mercedes-benz/sls-amg/mercedes-benz-sls-amg-black-series-unholstered-33537), but the essence is a GT3 racer made road-legal.

Indeed, it is actually faster than the SLS-based racecar – at least in terms of its 315km/h top-end speed – because the GT3’s M159 6.2-litre engine employs air restrictors.

At 464kW, the Black also pumps out more power than any other road-going version of the SLS bar the 552kW electric SLS. However, torque is reduced from 650Nm to 635Nm.

But with the ability to rev an extra 800rpm to 8000rpm, a shorter final drive ratio, a 90kg weight reduction and more acutely tuned automatic transmission with launch control, it’s no surprise the Black Series can accelerate to 100km/h in 3.6 seconds.

That makes it one-tenth quicker than recently launched GT (http://www.carsales.com.au/news/2012/prestige-and-luxury/mercedes-benz/quicker-new-sls-amg-gt-still-too-slow-for-oz-30716), 0.2 seconds ahead of the standard SLS and 0.3 ahead of the E-SLS.

Perhaps more importantly for some, the Black can also lap the Nurburgring in less than 7:30, eclipsing the standard SLS coupe by more than 10 seconds.

That emphasises the extensive amount of chassis work that has gone into the Black.

“While legal for the public road, this car is developed for the racetrack,” AMG engine and powertrain chief Fritz Eichler told motoring.com.au when he revealed the car to a small group of Australian media in Germany recently.

Included among a bevy of chassis updates is a unique system that secures the engine and transmission box to the chassis via hydraulic dampers designed to minimise powertrain movement in corners.

“The stability is better and the handling is better because there are no two systems moving against eachother, Mr Eichler explained. “It is a weapon for the racetrack.”

Another change Mr Eichler likes is the increased front and rear tracks to accommodate massive 325-section Michelin Pilot Cup Sport rubber - 20-inch at the rear and 19-inch at the front.

“It’s faster at the racetrack and it looks better,” he smiled.