Mercedes-Benz PerformanceNot only is Mercedes-Benz all about luxury and class, after all Mercedes is used to transport the world's richest and most powerful people including royalty, heads of state and the ultra famous, but they are also known for their performance. Since inventing the automobile back in 1886, Mercedes has a decorated history in motor racing from winning the world's first car race in 1894 to the more current Formula 1 World Championship title in 1998 and 1999.On the street, this engineering has translated into some of the most exciting street machines ever to given to the hands of common folk. Gone are the days of comparisons with Rolls Royce and Jaguar, now-a-days Mercedes are going head to head with Porsche, Ferrari and other exotics. Check out some of these statistics:2004 SLR McLaren0-100km in 3.4 seconds. 0-330km/hr in 28 seconds. Top speed is 334 km/hr. A front-mid 5.5L supercharged V8. 626 hp and 575 lb/ft of torque. The body is of a Carbon fibre shell onto an aluminum chassis with a completely flat underbody. curb weight is 3,800 lbs. Brake discs are 14.6-inch carbon fibre-reinforced ceramic with 8-piston calipers allowing for a maximum deceleration of 1.3g. The SLR is the most complex carbon-fibre automotive project ever. This car can absorb over 4X more crash energy than steel at half the weight. Production is 3,500 units over the next 7 years. Estimated price is $460,000 USD. The first 3 years' production is sold out.2004 E55 AMG0-60mph in 4.2 seconds (quicker than the BMW M5 and many supercars). 476 hp and 516 lb/ft of torque. 1/4 mile in 12.39 @ 116 mph (faster than a Corvette Z06). 14.2 inch front rotors with 8-piston calipers.2004 SL6005.5L twin-turbo V-12. 500 hp and 590 lb/ft of torque. 0-60 in 3.6 seconds (faster than a porsche GT2 or Viper). 1/4 mile in 11.9 @ 120 mph. Even at $126,970 USD, Last year 12,000 SLs were sold in the USA. Twin spark plugs. Rear tires are 285/35R18. Active Body Control and Sensotronic Brake control. The BMW Z8 lived for only a few short years selling 400 units per 12 months; Mercedes sells 2.5 times that many SLs in 30 days.2004 CL65 AMG A one-man, hand built, V12 bi-turbo pumping out 612 bhp and 738 lbs-ft of torque. A bargain at only $180,000 USD, this 4,800 lb beast will get you from 0-60 in 4.2 sec. Reaching 124mph in just 13.3 sec. The actual output of the engine is over 700bhp and 880 lb-ft torque but AMG had to detune it to prevent melting the gearbox! Rear tires are 275/35ZR19. Front brakes are 8-piston calipers on 390mm vented cross-drilled discs. If the CL65 did not have a 155mph limiter, its top speed would be 208mph. The speedo is calibrated to 360kph for those outside the USA.ML55 AMGIn March of 2001 Mercedes launched the ML55 AMG. At that time it was the world's fastest SUV. A 5.5L V8 producing 342hp and 376lb/ft of torque. 0-100km/hr was 6.8 seconds. BMW and Porsche would soon play catch-up with their SUVs. Kleeman holds the world record of Fastest SUV (4x4) 2003 with its modified Mercedes ML registering a top speed of 282 KM/hr.2005 SLK55 AMG0-60 in 4.8 seconds. 360hp 4.5L V8. The worlds first 7-speed automatic transmission. 510 Nm of torque. Steering-wheel shift buttons and an AMG SpeedShift manual driving program. With AMG SpeedShift, the driver is in complete control of shift points, and the system includes a torque-converter lockup, active braking downshift and faster gear changes. 18-inch wheels with composite brake rotors and 6-piston calipers.1998 CLK-GTROnly 25 produced. Base price was $1,573,000. This street legal carbon-fibre vehicles weighs only 1000kgs. Its naturally aspirated 6.9L V12 pumps out 660bhp with 568lb/ft torque. Compression ratio is 12.0:1. 0-60mph in 3.4 seconds, the 1/4 mile in 9.4 seconds and a top speed of 320km/hr. A skidpad of 1.0g and a lateral acceleration of 1.70g. Vented carbon-fibre discs. The 330/40R18 rear wheels receive power through a 6-speed manual transmission. A roadster version following in 2002, only 5 were made.S69 AMGAs the power struggle between AMG and the German maker's other affiliated tuner Brabus intensifies, the former is working on a new flagship, the S69 AMG. Producing in excess of 675bhp, the model is set to be the wildest S-Class yet, with a larger-capacity version of the 6.0-litre bi-turbo V12 from the S65 (right). With torque expected to be in excess of 1,000Nm, finding a reliable transmission to handle it will have been difficult - but our sources say engineers have managed to do so. In preparation for the introduction of the newcomer, Mercedes has registered the S69 trademark, along with SL69 and CL69. That means we've got a whole range of flagships to look forward to.These are factory spec vehicles with a full manufacturers warranty. If that isn't enough there are many aftermarket specialty tuners that go above and beyond. They are Brabus, RENNTech, Mosselman, Kleeman etc.page 7 - other rides