These are the types of images motor manufacturers don’t ever want you to see. The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series Prototype; a high-end, one-of-a-kind model destroyed in the testing process. As much as cars like the SLS AMG Black Series are supposed to be brand builders and halo cars, it doesn’t create a positive association between the brand and potential owners when you see them battered and burnt to a crisp.
To be fair, this is hardly the first supercar we’ve seen crashed and burned in the testing phase, while Lamborghini Gallardos, Ferrari 458 Italias and others, have all had a penchant for spontaneous combustion at some stage of their lifecycles. If anything, credit must go to this test driver, who clearly crashed with spectacular commitment at the Nürburgring before the prototype caught fire and burnt out.
The other good news is that the driver and passenger managed to walk away from the crash, long before the flames took over the wreckage. The crash took place at the Döttinger Höhe section of the Nürburgring, the long (back) straight that stretches out to 2.5 km and where AMG models commonly clock speeds close to 300 km/h.
Of course there is little information to gather from crash images like these, but it’s expected that the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series will have a more powerful engine than the 435 kW Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT, perhaps something closer to 470 kW. Combined with this should be a lighter weight and retuned suspension, ensuring the Black Series will be the most capable and power-hungry SLS of them all.
Rumour suggests the Black Series will be around 45 kg lighter, which will combine with the power boost to improve acceleration from 0 – 100 km/h to the sub-3 second range, before going on to reach a top speed in excess of 320 km/h. Expect to see an official unveiling of the SLS AMG GT Black Series in 2013.
