The legendary, 500-hp Mercedes CLK63 AMG Black Series was never produced with a manual transmission. So, Derek had one built.
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Derek Tam-Scott's company, OTS & Co., purchased a C209-chassis 2008 Mercedes CLK63 AMG Black Series for science/tax reasons and immediately sent it to Matt Kwiek of @kwiekclassics for a new Mercedes-sourced manual transmission swap.
How does the legendary AMG M156 6.3-liter V-8 (which is actually 6.2 liters) work with a 6-speed manual?
For science, Derek hired SCCA Hall of Fame race car driver Randy Pobst to set a lap time in both a stock, automatic CLK63 BS and a 6-speed swapped one.
The Black Series is one of Jason Cammisa's favorite cars of all time. He attended its launch at Willow Springs raceway, where he struggled to keep up with an 80-year-old Denise McLuggage as she executed flawless and effortless laps in the exact same car. It's a fun story.
The ‘mudgeons then briefly cover all the Black Series models: the R171 SLK55, C209 CLK63, R230 SL65, W204 C63, and SLS AMG.
Is the CLK Black Series peak AMG?
Derek compares the 6-speed swapped CLK to the fifth-gen Pontiac GTO and E39 BMW M5 Dinan S2.
And the Carmudgeons discuss whether other collectible cars should also be manual-swapped, including the Lexus LFA, Alfa Romeo 4C and 8C, and the E60 M5.
The boys also ponder if tearing out the OE tranny on the Black Series is a crime akin to that of the Sacrilege Motors 964 911 EV conversion.
Which wasn't, actually, a crime.
We end with a brief discussion of twin-engine cars: a half-Leaf half-motorcycle, a Twini (dual-engine Mini Cooper), DuRocco (twin-engine Scirocco), a pre-war Alfa, and a Citroen 2CV Safari.
Plus, the van, Jynah, prepares for potentially slippery, wet and white conditions with a brand new set of Vredestein Wintrac Pros!
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