Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG Black Series review (2007)

Model: Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG Black Series
Bodystyle: Two-door coupé
Engine: 5.5-litre V8, petrol
Transmission: Seven-speed auto

What is it?

The first of a range of super hardcore - and super expensive - AMGs offering even more performance and focus than normal. Track suspension, lashings of carbon fibre and boosted power are all part of the package and in the SLK's case the engineers at AMG's Performance Studio have even replaced the folding roof with a fixed one to save weight. Inspired by the SLK55 AMG safety car used in F1 during 2004 and 2005, and a subsequent car built for a special one-make race series in Malaysia, the Black Series is one of the most hardcore road cars AMG has ever built. It has since been followed by the even more extreme CLK63 Black Series.

GALLERY: SLK Black Series
Read more Mercedes Benz car reviews

Where does it fit?

At first glance there is little to set the Black Series apart from a standard SLK55. But look closer and you start to spot the differences, such as the fixed carbon fibre roof, the wider front wings and the resculpted front bumper. The real substance is under the skin and AMG has gone all out to pitch the SLK Black at track focused cars like the Porsche 911 GT3. An ambitious target but with a 0-62mph time of 4.5 seconds, limited 173mph vmax and power boosted to 395bhp (from the standard 355bhp) it's within shouting distance. Mind you, at £82K it's priced about the same too - an astounding £30,000 more than a standard SLK55.

Is it for you?

If you're still standing having read that price then quite possibly. It takes a special kind of person to want to spend more than half as much again to get a stripped out, noisier, less comfortable version of the standard car and one that does without one its key features - that folding metal hardtop. But if you have a taste for the extreme, place value in exclusivity and come over all funny when you see exposed carbon fibre the SLK Black is just your car. And with that track focused suspension, a limited-slip differential, huge brakes and fixed race style seats this is one Mercedes blatantly aimed at the trackday crowd.

VIDEO: watch the SLK Black Series in action

What does it do well?

The superficially stock appearance hides a genuinely extreme character and if you're expecting the usual SLK user friendliness you're in for a shock. Clamped hard into the carbon-backed bucket seats with the thick-rimmed steering wheel pulled into your chest it feels like a racing car before you even fire it up. And when you do turn the key the noise is fabulous, thanks to a sports exhaust and a bonnet stripped of its soundproofing material. Throttle response is as brutal as the noise would suggest and the SLK black is savagely fast, the ride teeth rattlingly firm at low speeds but coming into its own as you start pressing on.

What doesn’t it do well?

This is one twitchy little car and the limited-slip differential and brutal power delivery means the ESP system has a fight on its hands. A fight it won't always win too, demanding fast applications of corrective lock on wet roads, even with the ESP on. The biggest problem is the gearbox though - it simply isn't up to the job and ruins the fun at every opportunity. Try manually shifting up on the redline and instead of punching home the next gear the box dithers, sending you crashing into the rev limiter. This is one AMG that really should have had a manual, or an SMG style sequential box.

What’s it like to live with?

The extreme character is, if you're up to the challenge, mostly very exciting and so much more thrilling than any AMG we've ever driven, let alone other Mercs. A hairdresser's car this ain't. It's flawed in many ways - that gearbox will have you tearing your hair out with frustration at times - but it feels genuinely special, even if most people won't realise it. And for all its hardcore nature the autobox means you can just potter about and drive in stop start traffic more comfortably than you could in a GT3 or similar. But if that's your bag you may as well save £30K and have a standard 55 AMG.

How green is it?

Well, we're always being told that stripping weight out of cars makes them more efficient and therefore greener. And the SLK Black is a whole 45kg lighter than the standard car, thanks to all that weight saving and lovely carbon. Convinced? Didn't think so. The engine mods mean the 5.5-litre V8's already voracious appetite for fuel is even more outrageous and even the conservative official fuel consumption figure is mere 23.1mpg. In reality the mid teens are more typical. And with CO2 of 293g/km you're not going to win any friends in the eco lobby at all. It is marginally better in this respect than the GT3 though.

Would we buy it?

A tricky one. The GT3 is such a default choice in this track focused junior supercar league it's refreshing to see AMG offering a genuine alternative. And one not without credibility either - the thrills, drama and performance are all up there. If you like going your own way we'd applaud you for choosing the SLK Black too. But while its flaws are almost as engaging as its strengths ultimately its pretensions as a track car are scuppered by its automatic gearbox. With a more focused transmission it would be genuine alternative to the Porsche but as it stands it fails at the final fence. That it comes so close is incredibly frustrating.

GALLERY: SLK Black Series
Read more Mercedes Benz car reviews
Driven: standard Mercedes SLK 55 AMG
Driven: Porsche 911 GT3
Driven: Mercedes CLK 63 Black Series
VIDEO: watch the SLK Black Series in action