Carlsson has revealed details of a new Mercedes-Benz SLK hillclimb car that will be making its début at the Geneva Motor Show (March 7-17).
Building on the success the 190 EVO, Swiss team Meisel Motorsport are handling the project, headed by team leader and driver Reto Meisel, who will compete in national and international hill climb races in the E1 category.
A total of 1,800 hours of development has gone into the SLK, including time in the wind tunnel developing its carbon fibre widebody aero package and closed underbody layout.
Propulsion comes from the 3.4-litre V8 Judd engine, tuned to develop an impressive 455 kW (610 hp) and 430 Nm of torque, which is mated to a Hewland transmission with flappy paddle shifters.
Other features on this 780 kg machine include a complex safety cage, a Fibreworks racing seat, lightweight braking system, 3-way adjustable KW competition suspension and a set of BBS racing wheels, measuring 10 and 13 x 18-inches and wrapped in sticky Avon rubber.
“We developed the design over a long period of time and with lots of feeling. As an engineer, it is a pleasure to contribute to such a project, and we can show everything that is technically possible in the vehicle in cooperation with Carlsson,” said Markus Schuster, Managing Director of Carlsson.
[Source: Carlsson]