Mercedes-Benz is surely not gaining on the championship winning Ferrari in the 2002 Formula One season. However, the vast experience gained by the German marque has proven to be more than a great asset when it comes to developing more mind-blowing sports cars. Mercedes-Benz and sports cars, you ask? The combination might sound like water and oil—but in truth, it’s more like bread and butter. Keen to live on the hype of its extensive Formula One campaign, Mercedes-Benz is expanding its automotive line-up further to include some new Ferrari butt-kicking machinery.
The introduction of the top-range SL55 AMG at the beginning of this year proved to be just the tip of the Teutonic iceberg. Inside the well-received and technologically-advanced SL beats a supercharged 5.5-liter V8 heart that boasts 550 Maranello level horsepower. However, that didn’t seem to content the people over at Stuttgart and Affalterbach.
For the 2003 model year, Mercedes-Benz will be offering a redesigned CL coupe to further expand their venerable high-output German autobahn cruise missile line-up. Not content by just being a poser, the German marque and its tuning arm, AMG have come up with two new top-range engines: a supercharged 5.5-liter V8 in the CL55 AMG and a brand-new 5.5-liter twin-turbo V12 in the CL600.
Though the CL600 does not belong officially to the AMG group of sports cars, it develops some equalizing high performance with some innovative technologies. The new V12 boasts of a special low-temperature circuit connected to twin intercooler turbos with an AC dual ignition with continuous ionic diagnosis. All that technical mumbo-jumbo meanwhile is integrated to the marque’s venerable 5.5-liter SOHC 36-valve V12 with twin-spark technology. All in all, this masterpiece of twelve cylinder engineering pumps out 500 bhp, putting the CL600 well into Lamborghini territory. The crème-dela-crème of the twin-turbo is actually its torque: 800 Nm at 1,500 rpm as compared to the Enzo Ferrari’s 657 Nm and the McLaren F1’s 662 Nm.
These impressive figures mark impressive increases in horsepower and torque: 36 percent and 51 percent respectively—making this the most powerful V12 ever developed by Mercedes-Benz for a passenger car. Mated to a re-tuned five-speed automatic transmission with Formula One style steering wheel mounted controls dubbed AMG SportsShift, the CL600 does zero to 100 km/h in just 4.8 seconds.
Supporters of Greenpeace would be glad to know that the V12 has a new emissions system highlighted by huge win catalytic converters mounted on the car’s firewall making this engine meet the strict EU 4 emission standards, which comes into effect in 2005. Similarly (though not usually a concern for this type of car), the fuel mileage is pretty good, 6.8 kilometers per liter, besting the likes of the Dodge Viper.
Taming the devilish power figures is Mercedes-Benz’s version of the ABCs. The Active Body Control system was developed by the company’s engineers to adjust the suspension and damper settings in real time to reduce the body movement when accelerating, cornering or braking. The new CL600’s ABC system now has the ability in monitoring the total vehicle weight, including the occupants and baggage. By adding them to the system’s calculations, it gives the car a sharper, more dynamic handling regardless of any Sumo-sized passenger.
In addition to the CL600’s countless airbags that activate based on the passenger’s weight and seatbelt pre-tensioners with belt force limiters, the car now gains two front-mounted satellite sensors which permit the early detection of the severity of an accident making the airbags vary their level of inflation. It also controls the pre-tensioners to activate earlier ensuring optimum occupant restraint in an impact.
The changes to the CL600 are not purely for the mechanically-inclined. In order to differentiate the 2003 model CL600, it features an updated twin headlamp cluster design with bi-xenon lamps as standard. It also has a sportier front bumper and restyled rear tail lamp. The housing of the exterior mirrors have also been given the slight tweak to integrate exit lighting which switch on automatically to illuminate the area next to the vehicle when the doors are opened or when the central locking is activated.
To answer its critiques, Mercedes-Benz has worked hard to uplift the CL coupe’s interior with better switchgear, lifted from the SL model range, and a more ergonomic center console. The interior now boasts a larger 6.5-inch LCD screen that forms the centerpiece of the COMAND system that integrates the car’s systems such as radio, CD, mobile phone and GPS.
All of these changes hark the arrival of the CL600 as a formidable force in the super car league that once only accepted the likes of Porsche, Lamborghini and Ferrari. The dazzling new performance figures as well as the luxuriously elegant interior make the CL600 every bit more desirable than any super car. Though Mercedes-Benz may not be winning a world championship this year, it sure is making like more difficult for the folks over at Maranello and Munich. Ever wonder why Mika Hakkinen decided to retire?
By Ulysses Ang | Photos Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz
Originally Published in the October 2002 Issue
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