Why the Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series Is a Future Classic
Mercedes
When Pontiac put its biggest engine in its smallest chassis, it created the muscle car. When Mercedes-Benz put its best AMG-built V8 into its CLK sports coupe, it created a legend. It’s called the CLK63 AMG Black Series, and it’s one of the most extreme cars the German brand has ever made.
There are plenty more sedate versions of the CLK. The standard CLK63 AMG that was sold in some markets in 2006 spat out 475 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque and was already an upgrade over the, ahem, adequate CLK55 AMG. Below that sits the pedestrian CLK 500 and plebeian CLK 350.
The Black Series pushed the 63’s numbers to an even 500 ponies. It was hardened and honed into a completely different animal from the rest of the Coupe Leicht Kurz class. As the most pointed Silver Arrow of Mercedes’ quiver over the first decade of the 21st Century, the CLK63 AMG deserves a seat at the table of historic Benzes. Here are five more reasons why it’s destined to be a future classic.
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Its V-8 Is a Hand-Assembled, Naturally Aspirated Masterpiece
Image Credit: Mercedes-Benz Like all AMG-built engines, a single technician assembled each Black Series V8. This “one man one engine” philosophy allows the marque to affix a signature plate atop each engine, a unique identifier that may not add horsepower but certainly adds mystique. The M156 was the first engine to be designed completely in-house by AMG engineers. Depending on the year and the chassis it’s nestled in, the 6,208-cc powerhouse produces between 451 and 518 hp. It spins to a 7,200-rpm redline and makes max power a scant 200 revs before its limit.
AMG has produced many memorable engines, but the 6.3 (to the disdain of mathematicians and magazine editors alike, Benz rounded up to match the displacement badges of historical models) remains the brand’s naturally aspirated apogee. Turbochargers may be the de facto replacement for displacement, but the linear power delivery and symphonic soundtrack of the M156 is unsurpassed even today.
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Its Chassis Is Braced and Its Suspension Is Adjustable
Image Credit: Mercedes Cars destined to spend their lives on the street don’t need adjustable suspension setups, let alone suspenders that require tools to tweak. But the Black Series can hardly stretch its legs without a sanctioned stretch of asphalt free from pedestrians. The car’s ride height, compression, rebound, camber, and toe-in are all adjustable.
A fancy suspension isn’t worth much attached to a flaccid chassis, so AMG engineers added bracing between the front strut towers and in the trunk. The front and rear track measurements are increased by nearly three inches, necessitating flared wheel arches to cover the wide 265/30 front and 285/30 rear Pirellis on 19-inch wheels.
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It Was Inspired by a Formula 1 Safety Car
Image Credit: Clive Mason The CLK63 AMG was employed as the official Formula 1 Safety Car in 2006 and 2007. It was driven by ex-DTM racer Bernd Mayländer, and to hear him tell the tale, it was a big step up from the CL55 AMG he previously piloted. “When it rained, it was quite treacherous due to the light tail,” says Mayländer, “It was a real beast to drive – but it was really good fun.”
An F1 Safety Car has to be fast. “In the smaller racing series, I drive the safety car at about 70% of its capacity,” explains Mayländer, “but in Formula One you’re always over 90%. It’s like a real endurance race and everyone wants me to go faster so their tires do not cool down.”
The flashing lights didn’t make it from Safety Car to production Black Series, but the free-breathing exhaust system, actively cooled limited slip rear differential, carbon fiber rear diffuser, flat-bottom steering wheel, interior trim, and, perhaps most obviously, its widebody design did.
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It Looks Like a DTM Racer and All of Its Aero Bits Are Functional
Image Credit: Mercedes From 2000 through 2003, Mercedes-Benz competed in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters racing series with a car based on the CLK. It was significantly modified for racing duty, but perhaps the most important link – the car’s appearance – was clear. Spoilers, wings, air vents and pumped-up bodywork made the DTM car look like a beast on the race track, and the look was a clear inspiration for the production Black Series.
Mercedes actually produced a limited-edition CLK DTM model for the street to celebrate its DTM championship in 2003. That car, while extremely desirable, used the older 5.5-liter engine and its aero bits weren’t quite as extreme as the Black Series that superseded it. Included in the Black Series package were air intakes in the front bumper and fenders, side skirts, and a spoiler all hewn from carbon fiber. Each of these aero bits adds a sinister look, and each has a functional use for downforce or cooling purposes.
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It Actually Weighs Less Than a Regular CLK
Image Credit: Mercedes It’s got a bigger, badder engine. Its chassis is braced, and its exterior is plastered with extra bodywork. Still, at a smidgeon under 4,000 pounds, AMG managed to drop nearly 100 lbs from the car’s less powerful non-Black-Series sibling. Carbon fiber weighs less than steel or aluminum, but much of the diet is attributed to the lack of a rear seat.
There’s no denying the CLK63 Black Series’ appeal. And the car’s current price on the used market is appealing as well. According to Classics.com, the average sale price of a Black Series stood at $121,000 when this was written. That’s less than the car’s original asking price, leaving lots of room for what we believe should be an upward trajectory considering the car’s potential as a future classic.
