The new CLS won't be arriving in Mercedes-Benz dealerships before the end of January 2011, yet German tuning firm Carlsson has already unveiled its performance and styling program for the second generation of the banana-shaped sports saloon.
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And by that, Carlsson actually means that it has created its own limited run super-car using a whole lot of bits and pieces from Mercedes-Benz' parts bin.
Even though the tuner did not say which model the C25 coupe is based on, judging by the teaser sketches and the fact that it is powered by a 6.0-liter bi-turbo V12 engine, our first guess goes to the Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG.
Nevertheless, the drawings suggest that the C25 will have its own unique styling personality while the tuner claims that the same goes for the new interior that receives a generous use of real carbon, tanned buffalo leather and ultra-suede in special colors.
Underneath the sheetmetal, it's all about tuning Mercedes-Benz' running gear. Power comes from a tweaked 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V12 engine that cranks out 753-horsepower and a mouth dropping 1,320Nm or 974 lb-ft (!) of peak torque that's available at 3,750 rpm.
With that kind of power, it's no surprise that Carlsson announces a 0-100km/h (62mph) time of just 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 353 km/h or 219mph.
The completely street-legal C25 also gets ESP, ABS, airbag systems, an intelligent lowering C-Tronic SUSPENSION, 20-inch lightweight alloy wheels shod in 265/30 tires at the front and 325/25 at the back as well as 405mm slotted race brake discs at the front and 380mm race brake discs at the rear.
Carlsson said that it will produce only 25 examples of the car delivering only one automobile per country. More details and pricing are to be announced at the C25's world premiere at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show.
Does the Mercedes-Benz CL 65 AMG with its 612HP twin-turbocharged V12 engine seem a bit slow and not quite as exclusive as you'd like it to be? Need a set of wheels that will really make you stand out of the AMG crowd? Don't fear because Carlsson is here. Set to make its world premiere at Zurich Auto Show in Switzerland on November 13, Carlsson's Mercedes-Benz CL-based Aigner CK65 RS "Eau Rouge" Dark Edition has been developed in association with the leather lifestyle brand Etienne Aigner.Production of the luxury coupe that features a V12 Bi-Turbo tweaked to deliver 705 HP or 756 HP with a few additional upgrades will be limited to only 10 cars. In case you're wondering why, let's just say because prices for the Carlsson Aigner CK65 "Eau Rouge" Dark Edition 705HP start from €319,000 (around $400,000) and for the 756HP version with the second power stage from €374,000 (approx $470,000).
According to Carlsson, the Aigner CK65 "Eau Rouge" Dark Edition with 756 HP accelerates from naught to 100 km/h (62mpg) in just 3.8 seconds and it achieves a maximum speed of 335 km/h (208 mph) which is electronically regulated due to safety reasons.
If you don't like two-tone color schemes, then you lucked out as the Aigner CK65 "Eau Rouge" Dark Edition is exclusively available in the double-colored combination obsidian black metallic with Himalaya-gray that you see in the pictures. Carlsson also equips the luxury coupe with a set of 21-inch alloy wheels and a full-blown bodykit that includes plenty of carbon-fiber pieces like the rear spoiler and diffuser.
The CL's interior has been dressed up by the leather brand Aigner which has done its best to cover the cabin in high-quality materials.
Other modifications include the sport exhaust system that renders more output and a few extra decibel, an electronic lowering kit which lowers the car by approximately 30 mm and a set of more powerful brakes.
The new Carlsson CK63 S is yet another proposal for those who look at Merc's AMG models and see nothing more than underpowered four-door saloons. Taking the C63 AMG as a base, Carlsson's engineers developed a performance kit that boosts the serial output of the 6.3-litre V8 from 457HP to 565HP while the torque significantly increases from 600 to 685 Nm. The German tuner claims that the CK63 S needs a mere 3.8 sec to accelerate from 0-100 km/h (62mph) instead of the serial 4.5 sec. The sport sedan's top speed is electronically limited to 300 km/h or 187mph. -Continued
To help put the additional power on the road in a sensible manner, Carlsson has developed a sport coil-over kit that offers step-less height adjustment and individual settings for the damping characteristics with which the driver can regulate the setup according to his preferences. If you're willing to push your hand deeper into the pocket, Carlsson also offers an optional torque-sensitive multi-plate limited slip differential with mechanically variable lock-up.
Moving on to the vehicle's styling, Carlsson's aerodynamic kit consists of a front spoiler, the front spoiler lip and a rear spoiler which are made of high-quality PUR or optionally real carbon. The kit is complemented by a set of lightweight 19-inch alloy wheels. As for the interior, it all depends on how much you're willing to spend as Carlsson compiles various components to an individual mix, from a sport steering wheel to leather interiors or multi-media accessories.
