Speedriven EV12 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

The EV12 is based on an older version of the Mercedes E-Class and is powered by a 700 hp V12 engine

Speedriven released recently released the details of their latest Mercedes projects, called the EV12. The EV12 is based on an older version of the Mercedes E-Class and is powered by a V12 engine. As you can see in the photos, the new Speedriven Mercedes-Benz E-Class has undergone an extensive engine modification, it now outputs 700 hp at the rear wheels. They tested the Mercedes EV12 on ALSA’s dyno.

In order to get the extra horsepower out of the engine, Speedriven fit the EV12 Mercedes E-Class with top-mounted water-to-air intercoolers, “scorpion” air intakes, larger fuel injectors and billet-wheel turbochargers. The Speedriven EV12 Mercedes-Benz E-Class also comes with a re-programmed ECU and TCU.

The only sign that may tip you off to the true power under the hood of Speedriven’s E-Class is its Brabus aerodynamics package and the blacked-out front grille.

Unfortunately, the performance figures of the new Mercedes E-Class and the price for the upgrades have yet to be released.

Press Release from Speedriven: Speedriven EV12: Goldilocks Chassis, Papa Bear Power

Despite being a luxury brand, Mercedes does its best to be a “full-line” car company, offering a little something for everyone. To some buyers, the C class is too small. The S class is too big. For them, the E class – right in between – is perfect. What happens, however, when the car is the right fit, but the performance … well, isn’t?

That “right car, wrong power” feel is where tuners come in. Tuners exist in droves these days, offering ECU upgrades that can take a car from feeling “too cold” horsepower-wise to feeling “just right” by pushing a few 1s and 0s around. That “just right” performance vibe can be a little more elusive, however, and a tuner may have to free up a car’s exhaust or change the diameter on a few pulleys now and again. Other times, though, “just right” isn’t enough, and only “too hot” will do.

The “stuffed-full of V12” Mercedes E-class sedan shown here is what happens when “just right” and “too hot” meet. The (literal) heavy-lifting was done by Tim Stoll at ALSA Automotive Engineering in Dubai, while the performance upgrades and software tuning were handled by the V12 Mercedes tuning specialists at Speedriven in Chicago, IL. The EV12 benefits from Speedriven’s usually-reserved-for-S-class-customers collection of aftermarket hardware, which includes top-mounted water-to-air intercoolers, “scorpion” air intakes, larger fuel injectors, and (of course!) Speedriven’s billet-wheel turbochargers. The upgraded machinery is guided by Speedriven ECU and TCU software and generates over 700 rear-wheel horsepower on ALSA’s dyno, which should be plenty of “hot” for the “just right” sized E class. A Brabus appearance package and blacked-out grille complete the look of the car.

For more information on the car or the Speedriven tuning package shown, contact Speedriven.

Chicago Tuner Speedriven Looking For CNG Speed Records

The 2007 SL600 Mercedes-Benz roadster, after nearly a year of research and development, offers over 800 horsepower

A powerful and responsive, 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V12 engine is not usually what comes to mind when you think of “green” cars, but – if Bernie Towns and the crew at Speedriven get their way – it soon may be.

Bernie Towns is an engineer at HighMount Exploration and Production – a natural-gas-focused energy company based out of Houston, Texas. “Clean” and “green” are everyday buzzwords in the energy-production industry, and Towns’ company Future Power Technology well be no exception, promoting research into new ways to push CNG into the mainstream. In addition to being well-versed in current green-energy trends, however, there is something about Bernie Towns that is different from the usual green-car advocates. “I admit it. I’m a horsepower addict,” Bernie says. “I love speed, I love power, and I love my Mercedes-Benz.”

The object of Towns’ current automotive affections is a 2007 SL600 Mercedes-Benz roadster, which – after nearly a year of research and development work by Chicago-based tuning firm Speedriven – now develops over 800 horsepower and over one-thousand pound-feet of torque from its biturbo V12. Good enough for 10-second quarter mile runs and a top speed well in excess of 200 mph.

Towns’ massively powerful Speedriven SL satisfied his need for speed, then, but Towns still felt that something was missing. “In the IT world, we literally spend hours of every day coming up with ways to do business in more efficient ways and (at HighMount) in more environmentally responsible ways,” explains Towns. “So there I am, sitting at lunch one day and the people are talking about natural gas cars, and it suddenly hits me: we should convert the SL to run on natural gas!”

“In a lot of circles, green is the new fast,” says Speedriven’s Jo Borras. “I think that’s true, and Bernie is certainly a believer. He’ll talk about CNG giving off 80% fewer harmful emissions than gasoline, and he has the resources to figure out flame-front speeds, burr temperatures, and other technical things we need on our end to properly tune for the gas and convert the car. He doesn’t just want to do a CNG Benz, though. Bernie wants to break records.”

“Audi has the current record, at 364.6 kilometers per hour that they set back in 2009. That’s just over 225 mph, which they did in a heavily tuned Audi S4 making about 700 hp,” explains Towns. “That wasn’t standing-mile speed or anything, that was all they could get out of that car. The Mercedes has a bigger engine to start with, and it’s a slipperier car – from the factory at least. By the time this is all said and done, we’ll be making at least another 100 horsepower over the record Audi, and Mercedes has already given us a better aero package to work with. 230 mph to 240 mph run on CNG powered fuel. That’s the goal, and why can’t we do it? We know that Oklahoma and Texas have an abundance of natural gas, and a ready infrastructure of responsibly operating and producing companies that employ thousands of Americans all the way from production to distribution at CNG-filling stations that are already in place and available to the public. This is exciting and this is fun and there is no better and more brilliant use of this type of clean power than in our vehicles.”

The next test of Bernie’s car is scheduled for the Texas Mile event in March, and the SL600 is already at Speedriven’s Chicago facility, getting fitted with a new turbocharger assembly designed to push the boundaries even farther. “The first step to put the ‘pedal to the metal’ on this project is for Speedriven to get the hardware to where it needs to be,” says Towns. “I think 200 in a standing mile, with 240 mph or so as the top speed. Once we’re happy with the hardware and with the programming and we’re getting the results we want on gas, then we’ll convert the car’s fuel system and scale the math appropriately for the CNG. That way we’re dealing with known quantities all the way through, introducing new variables one at a time. That’s how Speedriven wants to move forward and that’s how everyone on my end likes to do things as well. Methodical. Step by step.”

Bernie Towns and the crew at Speedriven are moving forward and gaining support with each passing week. Towns offers that the group has been in touch with Mercedes-Benz USA, and that the ANGA and NGV America are also getting “on board” with the project.

“We’re pretty excited. I’m pretty excited,” says an emotional Towns. “It’s not everyone who gets to go out and do something really exciting with emerging technology and clean energy and break speed records in the same car they drive home every day and still get to call that ‘work’. This is great!”