Mercedes-Benz had a huge presence at the 2012 Australian International Motor Show, made even more noticeable by the absence of both Audi and BMW. It’s actually very refreshing to see how serious Mercedes takes the Australian market, when we often get treated as second best by other manufacturers.
A great example of that is the CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake ‘Edition 1’ you see above. With an extra 24kW/100Nm compared to the base-spec CLS 63 AMG, if you can call any AMG base-spec, the Edition 1 boasts the massive numbers of 410kW/800Nm. It’s limited globally and five have been allocated to Australia, all of which will be delivered a full three months ahead of regular Shooting Brake deliveries.
Further highlighting the level of faith Mercedes holds with local customers another three special AMG models were on display. Fans of open top motoring were presented with the SLK AMG 55 in designo magno cashmere white metallic paint, a fancy term for matte white. Other highlights on the SLK included carbon fibre interior and mystic blue exclusive leather upholstery.
There was also an SLS AMG Roadster, which just looks the balls from behind. It was wearing a specially created coarse silver metallic paint, which did look a little odd we have to admit. We’re mostly not fans of red interiors, but in this SLS Roadster it looked great.
If you’re like us and prefer your road cars to have a roof then you can stand and admire the C63 AMG Coupé in designo mystic blue paint. It looked hot! The look was completed with lashing of AMG’s best carbon fibre trim, a leather dashboard and trick 19″ alloy wheels. It was our pick.
Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake ‘Edition 1’
Mercedes-Benz CL 63 AMG
Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster
Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG
AMG Stars Unveiled in Sydney
The AMG Performance Studio, which develops and produces limited numbers of individual AMG vehicles, in conjunction with Mercedes-Benz Australia has developed three very special show cars specifically for the 2012 Australian International Motor Show in Sydney.
SLK 55 AMG
The SLK 55 AMG is the perfect embodiment of the new AMG brand claim of “Driving Performance”: in the compact high-performance roadster segment there is nothing to compare to its combination of tangible driving dynamics, superior sportiness, unique high-technology and low fuel consumption. The SLK 55 AMG accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds, and reaches a top speed of 250 km/h (electronically limited).
Its newly developed AMG 5.5-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine with cylinder shut-off system combines ultimate performance with the lowest possible consumption levels. The V8 Roadster produces a maximum output of 310 kW and maximum toque of 540 Nm.
Exterior options readily available including the Handling package and the following AMG Performance Studio extras:
- designo magno cashmere white metallic paint
- designo two tone Mystic Blue Exclusive leather upholstery with white stitching (seats, door panels, centre console armrest and hand rest,
- upper dashboard and door belt lines)
- AMG interior carbon fibre trim
- AMG 18″ multi-spoke alloy wheels in matt black
- AMG – illuminated door sills with white back lighting
- Extensive white stitching and accents throughout the cabin
C 63 AMG Coupe
The C 63 AMG Coupe has an optional Performance Pack and comes with the following AMG Performance Studio extras:
- designo Mystic Blue exterior paint
- designo Deep White upholstery with blue stitching
- designo Black leather upper dashboard with blue stitching
- AMG exterior carbon fibre trim
- AMG interior carbon fibre trim
- AMG 19″ multi-spoke alloy wheels in titanium grey
- AMG – illuminated door sills with blue back lighting
- Extensive blue stichig and accents throughout the cabin
SLS AMG Roadster
The special paint on the SLS AMG Roadster on display at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney “brings new meaning to the word metallic†is called ‘Coarse Silver’ and was coordinated with the Centre of Excellence and AMG Performance Studio.
The SLS AMG Roadster has a 6.3-litre V8 with a peak output of 420 kW at 6800 rpm and makes the open-top SLS one of the most powerful sports cars in its segment. This naturally aspirated engine generates its maximum torque of 650 newton metres at 4750 rpm. The open-top SLS AMG accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, reaches 200 km/h in 11.3 seconds and has a top speed of 317 km/h (electronically limited) – which means that the Roadster has a performance comparable to the gullwing variant.
