"You automotive journalists are only concerned with numbers," barked Geoff Day, when he was asked how fast the new Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series is. "It's not about the zero-to-sixty numbers--it's about the experience!"
Day, Mercedes-Benz USA's director of communications, was right, but his statement was ironic, because AMG models tend to be more about numbers than anything else. Their hallmarks are incomprehensible acceleration, astronomical prices, and, frequently, way too much power for their own good. So unless AMG had come up with a chassis that could match wits with the muscle of its 6.2-liter V-8, the CLK63 Black Series would be the latest victim in the German horsepower war--another machine that generated incredible numbers but not much passion in drivers.
I began to appreciate Day's words the next morning, when I got behind the wheel of the Black Series. This is not simply the coupe version of the CLK63 convertible that hit the market last year. Instead, it is the result of an extensive engineering project involving major structural and suspension modifications. And the result is mind-blowing.
The first thing I notice is that the cabin--which has neither rear seats nor a sunroof--smells just like the inside of a new racing helmet. A nice touch. I belt myself into the seats, which are as well-bolstered as a race car's, and shove the teensy aluminum shifter into Drive.
As I slowly merge onto Rodeo Drive, the flat-bottomed steering wheel reads the road surface in a way I've never experienced in any Benz. "Hey, Jason," it says, "that was a pebble. Next up is a two-degree road crown to the right, followed by a pavement seam." The ratio is so quick that I have to concentrate on not accidentally swerving onto the sidewalk in front of Fred Segal.... Read full article