SLR.CLUB EVENT PHOTO ON SUPERCARS

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This photo popped up on the Supercars' "pic of the day" page and got my attention immediately - both because RENNTECH is the official service and sales agent for the RML-built SLR McLaren 722GT and because it's a pretty exciting SLR photo on its own!

Click the photo above to view in hi-res, CLICK HERE to visit Supercars.

RENNTECH REMOTE LOWERING MODULE

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RENNTECH has updated its multi-processor digital lowering module to make installation and adjustment quicker and easier, with a unique, full-featured remote control.

"This lowering module was all-new in February already," says Hartmut Feyhl, RENNTECH's president and ex technical director at AMG North America. "As always, the module is 100% digital and fully adjustable, with the same microprocessors to communicate with the car's electronics. With the remote control, we have added functions like speed control settings, and the display has made fine adjustments easier."

RENNTCH’s digital lowering module continues to offer individual adjustment for each of the car's four wheels, along with updated processors and the ability to set different heights for different speeds, a check for the latest hardware and firmware versions, and more - with an easy-to-use graphic user interface that works like your favorite MP3 player.

The new, remote-ready digital lowering module is available for all Mercedes-Benz and AMG models with ABC or Airmatic air suspension.

DESKTOP UPDATE : SL65 BLACK SERIES

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Yesterday, the guys at Autoblog posted a GREAT gallery of SL65 Black Series desktop wallpapers from AMG's dedicated SL65 website. The pics are available there in 4:3, widescreen, and iPhone sizes.

CLICK HERE for the link.

MORE POWER AND MPG FOR SPRINTER VANS

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Designed and built by Mercedes-Benz, the Dodge Sprinter is powered by a 3.0 liter turbodiesel engine that produces 154 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque between 1200 and 2400 rpm. Not bad (especially considering that this full-size cargo van delivers almost 21 MPG), but nothing to write home about ... and that's where Hartmut Feyhl comes in.

As owner and chief engineer of South-Florida tuning firm RENNTECH (and ex-technical director at AMG North America), Feyhl has built some of the fastest, most exciting Mercedes' of the last 20 years. In that time, Feyhl and company have learned quite a bit about making internal-combustion engines more powerful, and also more efficient.

The end result of RENNTECH's tuning program is an upgraded Dodge Sprinter that puts out 200 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque from 1600 - 2800 rpm. More importantly, however, customers have been reporting significantly improved fuel economy.

Hartmut Feyhl explains: "When you make an engine more efficient, it produces more power. This is what we have accomplished with the Sprinter, and many customers have reported getting significantly better fuel economy. We are waiting to have our figures confirmed by independent agents, but are seeing an improvement over 10%, almost 24 mpg at cruising speeds. This is approximately what Mercedes claims for the GL320 SUV, which uses the same engine."

With rising gas prices and an increased emphasis on fuel efficiency, RENNTECH believes their new ECU software makes sense for Sprinter-based RV owners and fleet managers motivated to "save some green by going green" - and with the introduction of a low-emission, flex-fuel racing engine and higher-mileage tuning software for Mercedes' V8 cars now on sale, RENNTECH is taking important steps towards becoming an environmentally responsible performance tuner.

Available for Dodge | Freightliner 3.0 CDI (2007 - )

S65 SIGNATURE SERIES WHEELS

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The shot above features a 2008 S65 fitted with RENNTECH 20" Signature series 3 pc. performance wheels. This was the first chance we had to take some good shots of these wheels on a Diseno White 221 S class, and they look gorgeous.

The wheels sell for 1950USD, and are also available in 21" and 22" sizes.

CLK63 BLACK ON TOP GEAR

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The new season BBC's hit show TopGear is now in full swing - and this video of the 500 hp Mercedes /AMG CLK63 Black Series is just one more example of why this should be everyone's favorite show.

All these crazy Brit antics are fun, sure - but still, considering RENNTECH recently announced a comprehensive tuning package that boosted hp by 50 (and torque by 45-60 lb-ft between 2400 and 5000 rpm) you might have to watch the above in FFWD to get an idea of what we're doing in Florida.

Enjoy the clip!

NEW AGE TEUTONIC TERRORS

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This morning, Mercedes-Benz announced that all of its car lines would feature smaller 4 cylinder and turbocharged engines by 2010.

For the record, MB already offers twin-turbo V12's in their flagship 600 and 65 series AMG cars, as well as turbo-engined diesels (320CDi, etc.), but some people have already emailed us about this, worried that this announcement spelled doom for hot cars like the C63 AMG. To all the "sky is falling" chicken-littles out there who think smaller engines mean boring cars: just look at the picture above, and remember that Herr Feyhl cut his teeth on hot fours.

CLICK HERE to read the news on Autoblog.

SLR SPEEDSTER GALLERY

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Autoblog just posted a new hi-res photo gallery of the upcoming SLR McLaren speedster, which promises to be a hardcore, roof-free track rat that is expected to post solid numbers at the ring.

The article is reprinted below. CLICK HERE to view the gallery.

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The shutterbugs at KGP have captured the forthcoming McLaren SLR Speedster as it hits the Nordschleife for some testing. The car's expected to be lighter but just as powerful as the standard SLR and SLR Roadster, meaning it could conceivably be able to blow their respective doors off. A top end of 220 mph should be available to those who like to stare down the Reaper for kicks, and KGP reports that the car could be unveiled by the end of the month with one Lewis Hamilton behind the wheel.

RENNTECH TECH SESSION

The latest July/August issue of Mercedes-Benz club's magazine "the Star" featured a nice write-up about RENNTECH in its news section. The actual event took place in April, and I gave tours, answered questions, and generally "hung out" with the SoFL MB club. Rob and Raymond from TECHNICAR were also on hand to answer questions about electronics, nav systems, etc., and it seems like everyone had a pretty good time - we'll have to do it again soon!

Chapter president Joe Schumann's letter to the Star is reprinted below.

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South Florida and Southwest Florida Section members were treated to a unique experience. Enthusiasts rendezvoused at RENNTECH Mercedes, the world-renowned, high-performance, custom-tuning shop located in Lake Park, FL.

Attendees crowded together to hear Bob Brady, Senior Product Specialist and Jo Borras, Sales and Special Projects Coordinator, explain RENNTECH's history, details of custom tuning and performance enhancements, and the fine points of the sights that the small group tours throughout the classified areas would experience. A glimpse of "top secret" work on some SLR McLaren components and a CLK63 Black Series in the "no photos" area, the dyno test area, and computer-aided machining equipment areas were but a few of the many unique things participants observed during their tour.

Once the tour was completed, and all questions and curiosities satisfied, everyone started their engines and rocketed a short drive to the Waterway Cafe for a car display and luncheon.

The competition was fierce as everyone scanned their tickets hoping to be one of the winners of the many prizes and gift certificates donated by the event sponsors, including Griot's garage, Performance Products, Meguiar's, and Trident Enterprises.

SL65 BLACK SERIES VIDEOS

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These videos from online video magazine Road2Road show the new big 'Merc in motion and at rest, giving anyone patient enough to sit through 4 min. of video a detailed look at all the functional vents, scoops, lips, ducts, wings, and whatnots that make this the meanest-looking Benz in recent memory.

We can't wait to get one of these on our dyno!!

SL65 BLACK SERIES DEBUT

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Last night, the Autoblog posted MB's press release announcing the official release of the SL65 AMG Black Series (pictured, above). Their post is quoted below; CLICK HERE to see the original Autoblog post (incl. hi-res photo gallery).

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After months of spy shots and speculation, the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series is finally out in the open. And with a $320,000 price tag, a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 and only 200 units on their way to the U.S., it's a serious stopgap between the deceased SLR and Mercedes' 2011 SLC gullwing supercar.

Mercedes' in-house tuners applied their tried and true philosophy to the SL65 AMG Black Series, beginning with a carbon fiber hood, fenders and trunk, along with nixing the retractable hard top in favor of a fixed carbon fiber roof with an integrated roll cage. As such, the Black is 550 pounds lighter than the stock SL65, coming in at 4,122 pounds.

Seven vents – three in the bumper, two on the hood and two in the fenders – feed copious quantities of air to the 6.0-liter V12, fitted with a duo of upgraded turbochargers. Power is up to 661 hp available at 5,400 rpm, while torque remains the same at 738 lb.-ft. With a five-speed automatic gearbox equipped with AMG's speedshift software, the Black can hit 60 mph in 3.9 seconds on its way to a gearing-limited top speed of 199 mph.

Expect the SL65 AMG Black Series to debut in Paris, with sales beginning in the U.S. early next year.

RENNTECH CL65

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We should start off by explaining that these photos simply do not do this car justice. The silver metallic paint picked up blues form the sky, grays from the building, reds from the neighboring Smart car ... just gorgeous.

Probably of more interest than the well-documented beauty of the w216 chassis CL is what, exactly, RENNTECH has done to this particular car. In this case, RENNTECH's technicians upgraded the CL65's ECU and transmission control software before adding a new RENNTECH intercooler package and carbon fiber airbox/engine cover.

Aesthetically, the car is lowered over RENNTECH's 20" Signature series performance wheels using RENNTECH's remote-controlled digital lowering module. Inside, TECHNICAR of West Palm Beach seamlessly integrated a Valentine One radar/lidar detector and enabled some hidden features in the OE unit.

SLR MCLAREN SPEEDSTER

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The SLR McLaren has always been controversial. Being a McLaren, some expected a hard-edged "racecar" experience ... being a Mercedes, others expected a luxury car. The end result was an extremely capable long-distance cruiser (that, in its heart of hearts, was really a dragster). To satisfy some of the more hard-edged enthusiasts, Mercedes OK'd the SLR McLaren 722 and SLR McLaren 722GT special editions, along with a luxurious ragtop model.

As exciting as the SLR was (and is!) it has reached the end of its production run ... and, as a sendoff, Mercedes and McLaren are producing 75 ultra-hardcore speedster editions that promise to be the fastest SLRs to date. With no roof, windows, or windscreen, the SLR McLaren speedster promises an exciting drive ... which you can almost get a taste of in the video above.

This is probably not the final shape this car will take - let's get that out of the way first. The ultra-exclusive, ultra-exotic, ultra-lightweight SLR McLaren ultra-speedster that *was* shown to the SLR.Club members at Paul Ricard several weeks ago still hasn't officially been shown to the public.

That said, someone snapped these shots of a development mule undergoing testing, and you can clearly see the "edgier" side vents, front intakes, and updated taillights.

PRIVILEGE SPOTLIGHT

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John Temerian is a pretty neat guy. To most people, he's still a kid - but as the director of high-end marketing and promotion firm Privilege, this "kid" is the driving force behind events like the Palm Beach Supercar Weekend and the Palm Beach Film Festival, and (along with partner Scott Levinshon) was recently named one of Palm Beach County's power elite.

Quite a resume - and one that John recently added another title to: blogger. With top-notch photography and a rare perspective from inside the supercar scene, John's blog will be one to watch ... start with the image above, or CLICK HERE to read John's "spotlight" on RENNTECH.

Photos by Dave at nv-p.com.

NEW WEBSITE

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If you're here, you've probably figured out that the RENNTECH website is all new, and has switched its NEW/NEWS section over to a Blogger site. As with any change, there will be pros and cons, but we hope that the Blogger format will allow us to bring you news, photos, and event schedules in a more timely and efficient manner (it's all very German, in other words).

Feel free to let us know what you think of the changes, or CLICK HERE to make contact.

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