Let down by its sometimes dim-witted automatic transmission, the Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series is an otherwise sensational car. It was comprehensively upgraded with a host of serious performance enhancements and wowed journalists in period. Like very few other Mercedes, it is a true driver’s car and just 500 were built. The car is powered by the M156, the only AMG designed engine ever made, which is installed in a menacing package with all the right upgrades. It’s a car with the right engine, the right bodywork, the right chassis improvements, the right wheels and brakes. But the wrong transmission, and that is the thing that holds the car back.
MANUAL Black Series: Mercedes CLK63 6-Speed Swap
It had the right engine, the right chassis, and the right look. But the CLK63 Black was let down by one thing.
One of the most overlooked platforms in the Mercedes lineup is the C209. I may have some bias, owning a CLK55, but the reality is that this platform contains all of the necessary DNA to make an AMG a true AMG.
In its most extreme road going form, the CLK 63 Black Series showcases what the C209 is really capable of. With a wide body kit, huge wheels and tires (that house equally huge brakes), uprated adjustable suspension, and a host of other honed track upgrades, this car will set blisteringly fast lap times. But it has an Achilles heel. The Mercedes 722.9 transmission.
There’s a lot of good that can come from the 7G-tronic, but the transmission just isn’t as sharp as the rest of the car, even after being fettled by AMG. But there’s one place that fixes that glaring issue. It’s called Kwiek Classics. They won’t share the details because it involves a lot of research and souring, but they can install a 6-speed manual and utilize almost all Mercedes original parts.
Kwiek Classics has installed a few of these in the CLK63 Black, but has completed even more M156/6-speed swaps in countless other AMG models as well. So they know what it takes and what will be needed. Timeline? About a week. And then the car will be totally transformed.
Before this CLK63 Black gets compared on track to one equipped with the 7G-tronic, this car made us realize something. One unintended consequence of swapping a car like this to manual transmission is that it now has an importance beyond lap times. Is it faster? Sure. It probably is. But is it more fun? Oh, absolutely.
To be so in tune with the M156 is a pleasure that one should experience in their lifetime. It’s actually such a good combination that you’d be forgiven for being mad at AMG for not creating the perfect car. Because we can’t think of another vehicle that would have us pick the long way home each time, every time.
