Prior Design Mercedes-Benz SL BlackEdition V2 is the Car AMG Wouldn’t Build

on October 10, 2012 at 7:50 pm

As far as we’re concerned, the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series is just ducky. The big twin-turbo V12 underhood is profanely brawny, the wider bodywork (added to accommodate wider wheels and tires) looks terrific, and it’s altogether the yin to the lesser R230 SL models’ darlings-of-the-country-club-parking-lot yang. Basically, it’s about as close as Mercedes-Benz and AMG have come to building a Big Block Corvette.

However, in the transformation into a Teutonic two-seat muscle car, the SL65 AMG Black Series lost its less potent sisters’ sweet folding hardtop in favor of a fixed carbon fiber roof. This was quite understandable, considering the kinds of turning and churning forces emanating from the engine room, but a disappointment nonetheless. Now Prior Design has a way to get all the fat fendered visual swagger of the Black without giving up the ability to drop the top.

Dubbed the SL BlackEdition V2, the kit consists of a bold new front bumper with a splitter and dive planes, vented hood, flared front fenders, rocker panel extensions, rear quarter panel extensions, revised rear bumper with diffuser, mesh grille inserts, and an option spoiler for the decklid. The result doesn’t look identical to the AMG Black Series, but it is quite similar. And because all the add-on pieces are made from Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP), they’re durable and don’t add much weight. And if you have a pre-facelift R230 SL, Prior Design will upgrade it to the later style grille and headlights when installing the BlackEdition V2 kit.

Alas, if you want your widebody SL to look like and perform like an SL65 AMG Black Series, Prior Design can’t help you. Even if you can spend more than the roughly $16,500 for the basic BlackEdition V2 kit (The rear spoiler adds about $770.), they don’t have any engine, suspension or other performance enhancing part to sell you. But that’s okay, as there is no shortage of tuners offering products to rectify that. Don’t you just love the automotive aftermarket?

Source: Prior Design