Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series to Serve as 2012 DTM Safety Car

Mercedes-Benz has announced that for the 2012 DTM season, it is retiring the C63 AMG sedan safety car it fielded last year—and replacing it with a C63 AMG Coupe Black Series. We already feel, uh, safer. Despite the apparent irony in pairing AMG's most hard-core and angry C63 iteration with the title of safety car, the Black Series actually makes tons of sense as DTM's pace-setter. After recently driving the C63 AMG Coupe Black Series, we described the car as a DTM racer for the street—a C63 that had been sent to hell and back, if you will. As such, not much was required in the C63's transformation from road-legal race car to track-ready safety car. The biggest visual difference between the ultra-rare street Black Series and the safety version is a roof-mounted light bar. We like the light bar; after all, the Black Series already is pretty darn awesome. Need we spell it out for you that a C63 AMG Coupe Black Series with a light bar is even more awesome? The coupe's only other safety car–specific upgrades are a set of four-point harnesses for the AMG sport seats, a two-way radio, and a rearview camera that allows the driver to keep an eye on following race cars. The 510-hp V-8 and seven-speed automatic of the Black Series were left alone, as were the suspension and brakes. In a pitch-perfect impression of a German engineer, Mercedes claims these systems "have been honed to perfection" in the stock Black Series and thus required no modification. With no evidence to the contrary, we're tempted to give the Germans this tidbit of hyperbole. Comparison Test: SL65 AMG Black Series vs. Corvette ZR1, Murciélago LP640, Viper SRT10 First Drive: 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series Comparison Test: 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe vs. 2012 BMW M3 Coupe Of course, Mercedes-Benz equipped the Black Series with plenty of non-essential upgrades, too. For starters, "with the spectators at the race track and the TV audience in mind," Mercedes fitted the safety car with a modified AMG exhaust system to ensure no one misses the C63's distinctive sound. The standard Black Series is plenty loud already, so even though this probably should be cause for concern, we're giddy with excitement to find out just how bonkers the safety car sounds. Our guess is that European otolaryngologists likely are pretty giddy, too. The Black Series safety car is fully equipped with the AMG Track package, Aerodynamics package, Exterior Carbon Fiber package, and lightweight forged aluminum AMG wheels. The 2012 DTM season kicks off at the Hockenheimring on April 29, and Mercedes-Benz will alternate safety car duties with Audi and, as of 2012, with BMW as well. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

puts the internet to work for you. via task 647533