Renntech adds lightness to AMG brute

German tuner Renntech decided they needed to add lightness to the CLK63 AMG Black Edition so here are the extra carbon fibre  bits that you could buy and fit to the car, they include a set of cooling ducts for the brakes in case you want to make it a weekend track car.

If you tick all the boxes, the bits will set you back about USD16K and that does not include installation. Read on to find out details about what is available



GALLERY Renntech CLK63 AMG Black Edition

PRESS RELEASE


CLK 63 Black Carbon Upgrades
January 5th, 2011 

Until only recently, RENNtech has offered a line of proprietary, one-of-a-kind carbon fiber aerodynamic upgrades for the CLK Black Series to a small number of exclusive clientele; one of the first being Indy Car driver Tony Kanaan. We recently finished yet another complete package installation and are proud to announce them to market due to the increased interest and popularity of these products.

Our CLK 63 Black Series carbon aero upgrades include our proprietary full carbon fiber front splitter, rear diffuser, DTM rear wing, Carbon air box with vacuum chamber and front carbon brake air ducts. All of our components are manufactured in high quality, full carbon fiber available in either matte or gloss finish to suit individual desires.

These components are the result of countless hours of design and testing by our in house design and engineering staff to integrate seamlessly within the original body work and offer significant improvements in vehicle performance and handling.

Carbon Front Splitter: Our front lip spoiler offers aggressive front end styling and increased down force for improved handling. Integrated into the flat panel underbody tray are functional channels which allow cooling air to be directed to the front brakes to significantly increase brake cooling and reduce heat fade and pad wear.
Price $2450

Carbon Front Brake Air Ducts: Our front brake air ducts were designed in conjunction with our front splitter to dramatically increase cooling air flow to the front brakes reducing brake fade and pad wear under the most extreme driving conditions. These bolt on components require no modification to the brake heat shield and are crafted in full carbon fiber.
Price $1250

63 Carbon Air box: Our redesigned full carbon air box incorporates a restyled carbon vacuum chamber box. By optimizing the path and increasing the volume of incoming airflow, our carbon air box is able to offer gains up to 10 hp, in addition to serving as an attractive under hood showpiece.
Price $2795

Carbon Rear diffuser: Our rear diffuser is the companion component to the front splitter and functions to decrease drag and increase down force by improving the underbody airflow and its transition to ambient air. As with the front splitter, our diffuser is the result of countless hours of design and testing, but isn't just for looks. Integrated into the true double decker rear diffuser are air channels to dramatically reduce turbulent underbody air as well as a dedicated channel to direct air to the rear differential oil cooler, thus decreasing thermal stress on drive line components and allow for significantly cooler operating temperatures
Price $3250

Carbon DTM Adjustable Rear Wing: Offering aggressive styling and functional performance; our fully adjustable DTM style rear wing is designed to work in conjunction with the OEM lip spoiler and improves rear down force and stability at higher speeds.
Price $3350

Front & Rear Adjustable Camber Bushings: Our proprietary rear suspension bushings
allow drivers to adjust their car's handling for different tracks and styles of driving, ensuring that the car's tires maintain maximum grip for proper alignment, better braking, and improved cornering.
Price: Front $1250 Rear $945

Merc C-Class coupe photos leaked ahead of Detroit reveal

These are the first pictures of the upcoming Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe that is slotted for reveal at the Detroit Show next week.

The car has the updated look of the C-Class and will take the place of the old CLK, the car that looked like an E-Class coupe but was actually built on the C-Class platform

There are no other details about the car but expect it to have similar engine line-up or at least have the same engines that are offered in the saloon

The interior has similar design to the C-Class except for some details, more info will come next week at the actual reveal

VIDEO: Mercedes B55 burnout

Remember the B-Class shoehorned with a 5.5-litre V8 by Mercedes apprentices?

Well here is a video of it doing a burnout...lovely engine note

Mercedes files trademark with Roadster design

I failed to see the real attraction of the Smart fortwo and certainly did not see any reason, beyond novelty, which could persuade the average motorist to part with money for an upright and, frankly, dumpy roadster

Especially when Smart used to produce a pretty little sportster.

Gallery after the jump

I don't know about you but the current Roadster design is hardly exciting, sure there may be a market for two seater k-car for the city but it certainly would have to be priced rather competitively because driving with the roof down in the city means breathing in exhaust smoke, even if it has gone through a catalytic converter.

Besides, companies like Mazda make a perfectly gorgeous roadster in the Miata MX5.

Anyway, Mercedes-Benz has filed for a trademark for the Roadster's design so we can safely assume that they are planning to build something identical to the car we see here.

Maybe some of you think it is drop dead gorgeous and will run out to book one sight-unseen but we will reserve judgment until we see the car in the flesh.



GALLERY Smart Fortwo roadster

VIDEO: Funny Mercedes ad featuring Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher

MAD MOD: Merc apprentices shoved V8 into B-Class, call it B55

This is the sort of thing that car companies should encourage their apprentices to do, well not just shove really big engines under the bonnet but washing machine motors into the wheel hubs, locomotive motors, small nuclear reactor, steam engine...anything really

ARMED with a bit of free time and an encouraging supervisors, a group of apprentice at Mercedes Benz in Stuttgart found themselves marrying  a long suffering B-Class shell to an enthusiastic 5.5-litre V8 motor.

It was a really tight fit but in the end it was quite the marriage.

In fact the guys found that apart from the space constraint, the parts mated beautifully, the engines found the existing mounting plates and bolted on with a bit of modifications, they even let it keep the 7G-tronic transmission.

The rear axle was converted to an old E_Class unit and by that they mean the W211 multi-link arrangement and the whole thing now sits beautifully as if nothing had happened.

No horrible weld scars were to be seen and the B55 can now hit the ton in 5.2 seconds and achieve an electronically regulated top speed of 260km.h, that will be proven once they find someone brave enough to take the B555 all the way to take-off speed.

The entire transplant was done by the apprentices with no help from AMG or the mother company...cool

SLS GT3 ready to do battle in 2011

• SLS AMG GT3 is EUR 334,000 
• Designed to comply with FIA GT3 Rules
• Suitable for sprint and endurance racing
• Initial orders more than expected

Wanna go racing in style? well step right up to your local Mercedes-Benz sowroom and order yourself an

SLS AMG racecar built to FIA GT3 specifications.

The SLS AMG GT3 is designed as a racing sports car for customers competing in sprints and long-distance races.

Bernd Schneider, a Mercedes-Benz works driver for many years, and record-holding DTM champion, is carrying out the majority of the test drives which commenced in June.



The gullwing for the racetrack will be ready for delivery in time for the start of the coming motorsport season in February 2011. The price of the SLS AMG GT3 is EUR 334,000 (excl. VAT)/EUR 397,460 (incl. 19 % VAT).

"I am very gratified," Norbert Haug continued, "that the demand for this new and unique racing sports car is so lively – we are receiving far more enquiries and orders than we can initially cope with. But fear not, the production graph will gradually rise more and more steeply so that all customers seriously interested in purchasing the SLS AMG GT3 will be catered for."
I
nterested racing teams can enter the new SLS AMG GT3 in all race series under the FIA GT3 regulations, for example the FIA GT3 European Championship, the ADAC GT-Masters and the endurance championship organised by the VLN (Association of Nürburgring Endurance Cup Organisers, with 10 motorsport clubs) as well as the 24-hour races at the Nürburgring or Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium).




PHOTO GALLERY

PRESS RELEASE


Spectacular customer racing car: The gullwing model for the racetrack


Hockenheim – In spring 2011 a new and exciting racing car is due to capture the limelight: the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Developed to comply with the GT3 specifications of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile), the SLS AMG GT3 is designed as a racing sports car for customers competing in sprints and long-distance races. These race series for near-series GT cars are noted for their very varied participants and great excitement. Not least because of their comparatively favourable cost structure, they are enjoying increasing worldwide popularity. The development and test programme for the SLS AMG GT3 is going according to plan. Bernd Schneider, a Mercedes-Benz works driver for many years, and record-holding DTM champion, is carrying out the majority of the test drives which commenced in June. The gullwing for the racetrack will be ready for delivery in time for the start of the coming motorsport season in February 2011. The price of the SLS AMG GT3 is EUR 334,000 (excl. VAT)/EUR 397,460 (incl. 19 % VAT).
Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Norbert Haug: "The Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 will start a new era in Mercedes-Benz customer motorsports. This car is an exciting and spectacular sporting tool for committed private teams and talented private drivers. Together with our well-proven sports and touring car partner HWA, AMG will establish a customer motorsports department, and ensure the usual high level of Mercedes service for its motorsports customers."
"I am very gratified," Norbert Haug continued, "that the demand for this new and unique racing sports car is so lively – we are receiving far more enquiries and orders than we can initially cope with. But fear not, the production graph will gradually rise more and more steeply so that all customers seriously interested in purchasing the SLS AMG GT3 will be catered for."
The new SLS AMG GT3 is an emphatic continuation of AMG's commitment to motorsport. AMG has been a pioneer in the motorsport world ever since its foundation in 1967. Ola Källenius, Chief Executive Officer of Mercedes-AMG GmbH: "With the SLS AMG GT3, AMG is once again showing its vast experience gained in over 40 years of motorsport, and its high expertise when it comes to developing unique, high-performance vehicles."
The new racing version of the SLS AMG is developed and produced by AMG in close cooperation with HWA AG. HWA is responsible for the AMG-Mercedes DTM racing team on behalf of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport. The HWA team is one of the most successful in international motorsport, as witness nine driver championships in the DTM and ITC, as well as two championship titles in the FIA GT Championships. No other brand has won as many DTM races and DTM titles as AMG-Mercedes.
Interested racing teams can enter the new SLS AMG GT3 in all race series under the FIA GT3 regulations, for example the FIA GT3 European Championship, the ADAC GT-Masters and the endurance championship organised by the VLN (Association of Nürburgring Endurance Cup Organisers, with 10 motorsport clubs) as well as the 24-hour races at the Nürburgring or Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium).

Renault-Nissan to power Mercedes cars

AMG-powered Nissan and Renault/Nissan powered A and B-Class 

are some of the expected result of this agreement

Some Malaysians are upset that Proton is using the lancer as the base car for the Inspira, but technolgoy sharing is a fact of life in the competitive world of the auto industry.

As you can see here, Renault-Nissan alliance supremo Carlos Ghosn is signing an agreement with Daimler boss, Dr Dieter Zetsche to supply the German car maker with engines.

Mercedes Benz invented the car and they build some of the best automobiles in the world and even they have to admit that some things are just not worth developing themselves.

For the full story, follow the jump





Renault Nissan are experts in small engines and after developing their own engines for the compact A-Class and B-Class models, Mercedes realise that they are no expert when it comes to small engines and are turning to Renault Nissan for help.

BMW worked with Peugeot-Citroen for the engine in their Mini.

These two examples prove that sharing technology or buying technology is nothing to be ashamed about, in fact it is the reality of today and cannot be avoided.

The Daimler-Renault-Nissan deal will also see Nissan receiveing crates from Affalterbach, inside they will find engines marked with AMG on the cam cover.

NOTE: Proton is also working on an alliance with Renault-Nissan, let's hope the national car company can bring something to the table in terms of technology...