Blog

612HP Top CL Returns to Help Celebrate 40 Years of AMG
Mercedes-Benz‘ tuning arm AMG celebrates its fortieth birthday this year and uses the return of the CL65 AMG to help celebrate this landmark, revealing the new car this week at the 2007 New York auto show. As well as standard CL65 AMG, a mere forty examples of a 40th Anniversary version will be built. The 612HP (Euro spec, likely 604HP for the States) comes from the same 6.0L biturbo V12 as the SL65 and S65 AMG, mated to a five-speed automatic with AMG’s selectshift.

The CL65 AMG, whether in 40th Anniversary trim or not, gets the AMG sport suspension (with Active Body Control as its base), an AMG body kit (including larger air intakes, side air outlets, round foglamps), twenty-inch AMG wheels, darkened headlamps, and AMG grille. The high-performance brake system uses twin sliding calipers, front and rear, to improve stopping power as well as resistance to brake fade. An AMG steering wheel and silver AMG aluminum gearshift paddles for the five-speed automatic transmission are among the interior touches. The RACETIMER system for measuring lap times is also included.

The forty-unit run of 40th Anniversary Editions adds a unique Alubeam paint finish, a color-coordinated Alcantara roof and “40th Anniversary” lettering on the center console, complete with a “ONE OF 40” plaque. This is a first for a production car, though Mercedes has used the system for show cars. With this system, pigment particles are as small as 30 to 50 nanometers (versus 100 and 300 nanometers in conventional paint) and incorporated more evenly for more vivid and lustrous color (covered with a scratch-resistant clear coat). Inside, the 40th Anniversary CL65 AMG gets the Nappa leather in a diamond pattern of all CL65 AMGs.

Though pricing hasn’t been announced, the SL65 AMG enjoys a price premium of nearly $40,000 over the S600. A similar jump is likely for the CL range, meaning that this beast could set you back $190,000 for the non-40th Anniversary Edition model. Exactly when the CL65 AMG arrives on U.S. shores may be revealed at the formal press conference, but as we’re still waiting for the CL63 AMG that Europe got a couple of months ago, it may be late in 2007 before we see the CL65 AMG. Not that it matters too much; at this price, the vehicle is essentially built to order. The price suggests that Mercedes will keep volume low and AMG as exclusive as they can, but these days Benz creates one or two AMG models for each line they offer. At what point does AMG lose some of exclusivity and just become another expensive, albeit fast and beautiful, toy?