14 May 07
In 2007 AMG still means what it's always meant, but it's starting to mean other things as well, with coupes and convertibles playing a bigger role than before, and a shrewd eye on the growing international appetite for track day-friendly cars. It's no coincidence that this broadening out comes at the same time as AMG - now a fully owned part of Mercedes, with 750 employees, rather than a couple of blokes in a barn - is making 18 different models and selling 45% of its output in the US. The third biggest market - behind Germany, ahead of the UK - is Japan, a country where it's even harder than in the US to drive really fast on the road.
The number of AMG products sold may not be massive in the grand scheme of things, but it's growing, and the customers tend to be not only loyal but also very wealthy. They're spending Ferrari sums of money on their hotted-up Beirut taxis, but they can afford to, as proven by the fact that a great many of them also own a Ferrari, according to Spitzner.
The company has also been sprouting sub-divisions and sub-brands of its own, busily building limited editions and one-offs, and offering to personalise your Benz in exchange for a heap of cash. Most of these trends collide rather marvellously in a heap of horsepower and carbon fibre called the CLK63 AMG Black Series.
Let's go through that name bit by bit. CLK we know all about: the slightly wet, rather old-fashioned coupe (and cabrio), not to be confused with the even wetter Sports Coupe. The 63 AMG bit signals that the engine is the 6,208cc V8 introduced to the AMG range last year. It's naturally aspirated, partly hand-built, highly efficient and very powerful.
The Black Series idea also arrived last year, initially in the form of a stripped-out SLK. Now the treatment has been applied to the CLK. It's nothing to do with black paint. It's about taking out the rear seats, replacing various bits of metal and plastic with carbon fibre, and generally upping the ante over the regular CLK63 AMG: new suspension, more bracing, tweaked suspension, beefier brakes, wider track, different steering, and revised breathing and exhaust systems. There's also a larger main radiator, new power steering cooler and an extra cooler for the transmission oil, all reflecting the extra demands placed on the entire car by the increased power.
