Almost a year ago, on the eve of the partnership agreement with Italian motorbike constructor Ducati, Olla Kaellenius revealed more Black Series models were under development at that time. Amid such intense speculation that started rising right after the premiere of the modern gullwing in September 2009, journalists couldn't have missed the oportunity to claim AMG chief has almost confirmed the SLS AMG Black Series is on the way. Recently, a new report pointing in this direction surfaced on the internet. And now, with these very first spy shots, this unique piece of engineering is starting to shape up beautifully.
The new SLS AMG Black Series will mark its premiere by the end of 2012 and will sport an aerodynamically-modified body. The supercar will sit lower than the standard SLS, but also be wider through the use of several panels, currently hidden under camouflage, that also help improve Cd values and air cooling of the engine and the high performance braking system. The chassis will be further tweaked to deliver outstanding ride performance: beginning with the engine and finishing with the suspension and tyres, everything will be one step ahead of the ordinary SLS AMG.
It still remains unclear whether the car will receive the new 5.5-litre V8 unit or will stick to the outgoing 6.2-litre engine. If engineers go for the twin-turbo alternative (which is more likely), then the technical updates to the engine could translate in at least 650-660 hp of peak output. If the second path is followed, the aspirated motor could be modified to produce around 600 hp. Two years ago, rumors were indicating a radical variant of the 6.0-litre V12 powerplant capable of anything in between 661 and 700 hp, but these days, it doesn't sound very possible any longer. Moving on to power transfer, the rear wheels will handle the immense output of the engine through the finely-tuned AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT-7 gearbox.
High-end performance is nothing without a proper weight distribution. An important amount of money will be spent on achieving the ideal mass for the new SLS AMG Black Series. An aluminium spaceframe, numerous carbon fiber-casted components and a balanced front/rear ratio will help accomplish this challenging task. To save extra kilograms, the interior will be stripped of any unnecessary equipments and will thus display a minimalist design. For safety reasons, the passenger shuttle will probably be subject to further reinforcement with the installation of a protection cage, as in the case of recent Black Series versions.
Photos: Motor Authority,SecretNewCars
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