2014 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series, Revealed

If the 2013 GT version of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG had you thinking the wizards of Merc's AMG performance arm couldn’t squeeze any more from the naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V-8 you would be incorrect.

Announced today and arriving next summer, the 2014 SLS AMG Black Series adds another 39 horses to the stable, bringing the total power of Mercedes’s flagship supercar to 622 hp. In addition to reaching even more ludicrous power numbers, the AMG engineers replaced the aluminum exhaust system with one made of titanium, substituted aluminum body parts for carbon fiber, and even replaced the standard lead acid battery with a lithium ion one for a total weight savings of 154 pounds. The result is a 3.5-second 0-60 time, 0.2 seconds faster than the GT, and an electronically limited top speed of 196 mph.

The car also draws from its racing cousin, the SLS AMG GT3, by adding a larger front splitter, side skirts, and rear spoiler—all fashioned from carbon fiber—plus a new rear electronically controlled locking differential.

The latest version of the SLS is the fifth car in the company’s famed Black Series, The most aggressively-styled Mercs with the most biblical of engine notes to be produced outside of niche tuning companies. But the other four cars to receive the Black treatement—the 2006 SLK 55, the 2008 CLK63, the 2009 SL65, and the 2012 C63—have been relatively conservative (read: German) in their paint schemes. Not so the 2014 SLS AMG Black, which Benz revealed with a bumblebee yellow paint job. It also comes in white:



But then again, if you’re going to buy an expensive, shouty car like the SLS AMG Black, understatement is probably the least of your concerns.
Read more: 2014 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series - Popular Mechanics