Mercedes' Red Hot Black Series

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Amateur Turned Pro

On the road, this is the sort of car that makes an average driver feel like a pro, while the professionals discover new opportunities to blow away the competition.

True, there are some drawbacks to using an automatic transmission, rather than a stick or even the sequential manual box offered by the likes of BMW's M models. Mercedes' torque converter does sop up a little of the 6.3-liter V-8's power, but it also smooths things out for everyday driving. That's a more than reasonable trade-off, we came to accept after spending the rest of the day driving back from Willow Springs through the Angeles National Forest and into some of L.A. 's crowded urban highways.

The blind turns and sheer drop-offs of the park road are even less forgiving than the Streets of Willow Springs, but the Black Series coupe was more than a match, letting us hang tight to the tail of a local biker who repeatedly tried—and failed—to shake us off.

Like the car's throttle response, steering is incredible precise and intuitive, the CLK rocketing through turns like it was on rails. On track and off, one could use steering and throttle inputs to precisely position the car, and in manual mode, the electronics would not cut in at the wrong moment, as they might on a non-AMG model, curbing power or trying to yank the car out of a controlled drift. Better yet, with the modified suspension, there was virtually no body roll whatsoever.

At $135,000, or nearly $40,000 more than the "standard" CLK63 AMG (sold only in cabriolet body style) all this doesn't come cheap. AMGs aren't for everyone and the Black Series even more so. Mercedes intends to ship only 350 of them to the U.S. for the 2008 model year. If our experience is any indication, we don't expect them to last long on dealer lots.

For the longest time, true performance fans tended to dismiss Mercedes, and for nearly as long a time, they were right. The German automaker tended to build soft and wallowing sedans and coupes designed more in the fashion of American boulevard cruisers than Autobahn chargers. AMG began a dramatic transformation in Mercedes' performance capabilities and with the addition of the Black Series, the brand is truly due its street cred.

2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK 63 AMG Black Series

Base price: $135,000 plus $770 destination

Engine: AMG-built 6.3-liter V-8, 500 hp/470 lb-ft

Drivetrain: Seven-speed automatic transmission (six-speed manual standard), rear-wheel drive

Length x width x height: 183.4 x 72.2 x 53.8 in

Wheelbase: 116 in.

Curb weight: 3948 lb

Fuel economy (EPA city/hwy): N/A

Safety equipment: Anti-lock brakes, traction, and electronic stability program; dual front, side,

and curtain airbags

Major standard equipment: Dual-zone climate control; power windows/locks/mirrors; power front seats; leather upholstery; AM/FM/CD/satellite radio; keyless remote; specially contoured aluminum shift lever, engine "start-stop" button; alloy wheels; Bluetooth hands-free interface

Warranty: Four years/50,000 miles

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