March, 2009
Merzig, Germany-based Mercedes tuner, Carlsson, has turned its talents to the 2009 SL63 and delivered a flat black thug that is capable of delivering you and a brave passenger to 100 km (62 mph) in just 4.1 seconds. That's damn quick and requires an awful lot of horsepower - 600 to be exact - to drag the relatively heavy SL down the road so quickly. As the press release notes, Carlsson "invigorates" the eight cylinder engine with "significantly more performance." Significant indeed, and significant enough to earn 0-100 km bragging rights by 1/2 second over arch-rival AMG.
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Fabulous 600hp SL63 based CK63-RS.
Note grille star replaced with Carlsson logo, "Stealth Titanium Graphite" paint and low ride height. |
Advancing the recent trend of matte finishes to its most extreme level yet seen, the CK63-RS's "Stealth Titanium Graphite" paint is a bold stroke and looks fabulous. At least to most California hot rodders. My brother's cool 40 Ford coupe was also painted Stealth Titanium Graphite but in 1962 we just called it flat black. In paint-speak, the reason this color is so "flat" is because it uses only five "gloss units" in its Standox paint chemistry compared to most matte finishes containing 20-25 gloss units. Sascha Pfeffer, Standox's application technology manager, notes "the color shade still remains brilliant and is neither blurred nor milky." Absolutely, just like my brother's 40 coupe. I think most European enthusiasts will have a heart attack when they see the car, wondering when the car will be painted. That is, if they haven't already fallen over after hearing the $349,673 price tag.
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Rear view shows off subtle rear spoiler and "gullwing" door actuation.
Pewter or grey wheels would complete the stealth look. |
Regardless, this is a highly engineered SL with all technical modifications carefully tested on in-house dynos and during extensive over-the-road testing. Carlssen is well known for presenting fully integrated performance and cosmetic upgrades for any Mercedes-Benz including the Smart car!
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Gorgeous interior continues the study in matte colors/finishes.
Ultra suede trim compliments seats and door panels.
CK63-RS is a celebration of graphite grey finishes presented in many textures |
However, the CK63 may be a tough sell as a new SL65 "Black Edition" costs less and we believe the new Gullwing due to arrive in a year or so will (probably) be significantly less. Of course, it's a niche car that will find buyers who simply need to own what most of their automotive peers cannot or will not own. If the brief for the CK63-RS was to build something quicker than AMG's offerings while offering an utterly unique appearance and integrating some special technical improvements, then Carlsson has succeeded. They just had to use AMG's platform to achieve their goal.
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| Touring with suspension in raised position. Spec sheet notes 202 mph top speed. |
Carlsson CK63-RS
- Upgraded AMG 6.3 liter producing 600hp
- Carlsson aerodynamic body kit
- C-Tronic electronic suspension lowering software
- Carlsson carbon composite brake rotors
- Ultra light Carlsson forged alloy wheels
- Upgraded brake calipers: 4-piston ft/6 piston rear
- Dunlop SP SportMaxx tires: 255/30 ZR20 front and 305/25 ZR20 rear.
- Stealth Titanium Graphite paint
- Special interior accents in Ultra Suede.
- Gullwing RS door actuation
Roy Spencer,
editor www.ourSL.com
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