2009 AMG SL63 Edition IWC and SL65 Black Series at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall Collection review and pictures

AMG SL63 Edition IWC and SL65 Black Series at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall Collection review:

Mercedes-AMG, the high-performance brand from Mercedes-Benz cars, is displaying two distinct and high-powered vehicles at events surrounding Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York Fall 2009 runway shows connecting the world of fashion with unique vehicle design and quality craftsmanship.

For over a decade, Mercedes-Benz has established itself as a supporter of premier international fashion platforms. "Cars and fashion have many similarities including the opportunity to create exclusive products that meet the desire for individualism based on style and design," said Lisa Holladay, Manager Brand Experience Marketing for Mercedes-Benz USA.

Honoring its tradition of style and design, guests at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York Fall 2009 Collection will experience the SL 63 AMG Edition IWC and the SL 65 AMG Black Series, the ultimate in luxury and performance automobiles.

AMG was conceived in 1967 with the sole purpose of designing and testing racing engines, and expanded into building bespoke vehicles. Today, the AMG brand is world renowned for its design and performance vehicles.

On display at the Bryant Park tents this season is the SL 63 AMG Edition IWC which retails at $169,950. This high performance AMG roadster is the newest addition to the iconic SL line-up and is limited to a production run of just 200 units worldwide with only 63 available in the United States.

Design features include a retractable hardtop, brown Nappa leather upholstery with white contrast stitching that highlights a perforation pattern unique to AMG vehicles.

Contrasting matte finish carbon fiber on the side air dam vents, lip spoiler and rear diffuser, further enhance the vehicle`s already aggressive appearance, and this trim is continued in the interior on the center console and door panels. More subtle appointments such as black AMG floormats with brown leather piping, door sills with white illuminated AMG lettering, and the IWC logo on the lid of the center console complete the luxurious cockpit of this unique vehicle.

The eye-catching Magno Cashmere white paint with matte finish is a first of its kind on a production Mercedes-Benz vehicle. The 518- horsepower, V8 engine can accelerate from 0 to 60 in 4.5 seconds and is hand-built at AMG by one engineer. The SL63 AMG Edition IWC will be delivered to customers with an exquisite "Grosser Ingenieur" (Great Engineer) watch from the renowned Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen.

The SL 63 AMG Edition IWC shares the spotlight with the SL 65 AMG Black Series Coupe, making its first appearance in New York at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week opening celebration. AMG Black Series vehicles are one of the most exclusive labels to own.

One of only 175 available in the U.S., the SL65 AMG Black Series is the ultimate performance vehicle featuring a dramatic and bold look, lightweight materials, and a 6-liter twin-turbo V-12 powered engine that rockets from 0 to 60 MPH in 3.8 seconds.

The high-performance two-seater retails for $299,000 and was developed in the AMG PERFORMANCE STUDIO by experts who were responsible for designing the Official F1(TM) Safety Car and Official F1(TM) Medical Car. The SL 65 AMG Black Series is bigger than the SL 63 AMG Edition IWC, yet weighs 500 pounds less through extensive use of carbon fiber material in the car`s front fenders, hood and new fixed roof. The 20-inch wheels feature a twin-spoke design with black paintwork with a high-sheen, matte finish.

Carbon-fiber bucket seats upholstered in fine grained Nappa and Alacantara leather with AMG embossed in the head restraints provide impressive lateral support in fast turns, and a smaller AMG Performance steering wheel is fitted with aluminum shift paddles. A white tachometer with four integral LEDs alerts the driver about optimal shift points, and a contrasting black speedometer reads to 225 mph.