How do you improve upon a car like the Mercedes-AMG SL63? You look to the race track for inspiration.
The German automaker’s performance sub-brand just unveiled the SL63 Motorsport Collectors Edition, a limited-run version of its sporty roadster that pays tribute to its Formula 1 car. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly if you’re a fan, it’s not based on last year’s racer, it’s based on the W12 that won the AMG Petronas team the World Constructors’ Championship 2021.
Even the most casual F1 fans will be able to spot similarities between the variant and the race car that Lewis Hamilton drove to a controversial second-place Driver’s Championship finish during the 2021 season. That’s because the convertible is done up in a gorgeous metallic paint job that changes from High Tech Silver to Obsidian Black and has colour-contrasting three-point stars adorning its rear end. There are also Petronas’s trademark aquamarine accents on the front and side skirts as well as along the rim of the black 21-inch, 10-spoke wheels. The car also comes with a model-specific version of the AMG Aerodynamics Package that includes more prominent flics and a larger diffuser, as well as the AMG Night Package which sees all its chrome bits, including the grille and badging, darkened.
The two-door’s interior is covered in black Nappa leather and microfibre with either red or yellow contrast stitching. Other extras include plenty of carbon-fibre trim, a head-up display, the AMG Track Pace telemetry system and a Burmester 3D-audio speaker system. When the weather takes a turn for the worse, you can put up its electronically controlled black fabric roof.
AMG has left the car’s mechanical hardware untouched. That’s okay, though, since the SL63 already comes equipped with a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V-8. The potent mill can generate up to 577 hp and 590 ft lbs of torque, which is directed to all four wheels via a 9-speed automatic transmission. It may not be able to keep up with the W12, but it’s got plenty of pep for a road car.
The sub-brand plans to build just 100 examples of the SL63 Motorsport Collectors Edition, so if you’re interested in adding the convertible to your collection, time is of the essence. Cost has yet to be announced yet, but expect it to come in well north of the base roadster’s US$178,100 starting price.
Previously published on Robb Report.
