PURE LUXURY – KICHERER CLS 63 YACHTING
Stockach, Germany, September 22, 2012
Yachting deluxe!
With the introduction of the CLS eight years ago, Mercedes-Benz caused quite a stir, as the design combination of saloon and coupé had not existed in this form up to that time. At the time, the industry's journalists disagreed as to whether the CLS should be put down as a marvel of new design or as a failed attempt at a new concept. And yet, designs that polarise often need a certain amount of time to develop an impression, and today, the courage of the designers at Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart has certainly paid off. Not only is the CLS a true sales success story, but it also went on to establish a new vehicle class, the four-door coupé-saloons. The fact that Mercedes' competitors at BMW have now brought out the 6 series Gran Coupé as a CLS-style clone onto the market shows just how successful the CLS has been.
The current CLS generation, with its internal model designation C218, is distinctly more angular and racy than the original model. And if a customer instead decides on the AMG version, the CLS 63 AMG, they receive a complete bodywork assembly kit and, of course, the muscular 5.5 litre Biturbo engine, which transforms the luxury sports coupé saloon into a true performance vehicle. It might be hard to believe, but even an AMG version is not one hundred per cent perfect, as the technicians and designers at Mercedes-Benz AMG in Affalterbach outside Stuttgart still need to respect and adhere to the rules and limitations of the performance specifications laid down by corporate headquarters in Stuttgart. And so it's at exactly this point that KICHERER takes over, having specialised for many years now in the optimisation of AMG models.
High End Optimisation right down to the smallest detail!
Thanks to comprehensive modifications, a 'normal' CLS AMG is transformed into an exclusive KICHERER CLS 6.3 Yachting. For a more noticeably individual look, Kicherer, the specialist auto-tuners from Stockach in Germany, have given the CLS a set of top-quality KICHERER RS-1 forged wheels; on the front axle in size 20 inch and on the rear axle in size 21 inch. To make sure this combination not only looks good as it sits in the vehicle's wheel arches, but also fits technically, the chassis frame has been optimised by means of electronic adjustment, including sporting characteristic curve. Behind the exclusive-design wheels is hidden an in-house high performance braking system with steel flex brake lines, which generate the sorts of deceleration values seen on top-level sports cars. An optical highlight is the exclusive KICHERER full-cover film in star-graphite, which converts the CLS 6.3 Yachting to a unique item.
Exclusive performance level!
In terms of power, the engine performance of the 5.5 litre Biturbo has been raised to 625 hp, which also brings with it an increase in torque, to an impressive 860 Nm. The removal of the electronic Vmax (maximum speed) blocker ensures that the CLS 6.3 Yachting can now easily race along at more than 300 km/h. A KICHERER PowerConverter increases the sense of acceleration by neutralising the moment of inertia on the electronic accelerator pedal. Not only does the wheel and tyre combination ensure optimum drive, i.e. perfect grip, but there is now also a special, in-house limited slip differential with variabslip.
For the interior of the CLS, which, in the AMG version, is already fairly decently outfitted as it rolls off the production lines, KICHERER has designed an exclusive YACHTING full-outfitting for its range, in which leather, Alcantara and carbon-fibre have been utilised in almost extravagant ways.
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