The 2024 SEMA Present is now lower than three months away. As all the time, we’re trying ahead to seeing what new builds will flip up on the Las Vegas Conference Heart.
At SEMA 2013, a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG instantly piqued our curiosity – and for good purpose. The supercharged and wide-bodied Speedconcepts SLS wasn’t only a showfloor looker – it had loads of efficiency to again it up, having been constructed to compete in One Lap of America. For this week’s throwback put up, let’s revisit Mike Garrett and Larry Chen’s function from 2014…
2014 Characteristic
I spend a number of my day fascinated about automobiles. Most likely far more than is wholesome. In fact I could be forgiven as automobiles are my profession, however it nonetheless looks as if I usually spend the whole day with cars driving by means of my thoughts. Lots of the instances it’s fascinated about a function I’m making an attempt to write down or a narrative I’m making an attempt to chase. Different instances it’s scheming about elements and plans for my very own undertaking automobiles.
Maybe it’s as a result of I’m so busy fascinated about different issues, however I haven’t had a lot time recently to truly dream about automobiles. You realize, simply throw out all the true world limitations and fantasize concerning the automobiles we’d wish to personal and drive.
And as uncommon as these moments is perhaps nowadays for me, it’s all the time nice enjoyable to only lay again and take into consideration what we might drive if cash was no object. Whenever you throw the monetary issue out the window, it’s pure that your thoughts will wander to supercars and exotics. They’re in any case, the last word type of automotive fantasy for many individuals.
So on this fantasy world, what sort of automotive would you wish to hop into? A Ferrari? A McLaren? Lamborghini? Possibly one thing modest like a Porsche? It’s a enjoyable however troublesome selection isn’t it?
Whereas it’s possible unimaginable to slender issues all the way down to a single automotive, the one mannequin that I preserve coming again to is the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. It may not be on the highest of most individuals’s unique automotive lists, however there’s one thing concerning the SLS that simply presses the appropriate buttons for me.
For one thing you’ll drive daily, the SLS simply appears so proper. It seems to be unique, however not too unique as to trigger spectator pile-ups in all places you go. It’s obtained all the posh goodies you’d anticipate from a top-of-the-line-Mercedes, and all of the horsepower you possibly can need.
However most of all, I believe there’s simply one thing that units the SLS aside from different automobiles in its class. Whether or not it’s these iconic gullwing doorways or that traditional lengthy hood, brief deck physique design, it’s a simple automotive to dream about.
So sure, the SLS is a quick, distinctive and well-rounded automotive – one I’d be ecstatic to have in my very own storage. However what about on the subject of modifications? When a automotive is so spectacular from the manufacturing facility, bettering it with aftermarket elements can turn out to be fairly a problem.
That’s what brings me to the Speedconcepts SLS, which we had the pleasure of capturing on the 2013 Optima Final Avenue Automotive Shootout following the 2013 SEMA Present. Let this serve for example of take a automotive that’s already rattling good and make it higher.
Speedconcepts is a full service race and fabrication store situated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that works with all matter of excessive efficiency autos, together with the Nissan GT-R. It was with a modified GT-R that Speedconcepts competed within the famed One Lap of America – an eight day endurance occasion that spans a few of the USA’s prime race tracks.
For the 2013 One Lap occasion, Speedconcepts’ Todd Treffert determined he would do one thing completely different and compete along with his 2012 SLS AMG. With the times to the occasion counting down, the inventory SLS was remodeled into the automotive you see right here in simply eight weeks.
Simply probably the most dramatic change on the automotive is the widebody package, which was designed and constructed fully by Ty from Speedconcepts in the course of the span of these two brief months.
The package attracts a number of inspiration from the SLS GT3 race automobiles, with the entrance fenders being an inch wider than inventory and the rear fenders being two inches wider. The one elements of the physique that weren’t altered had been these well-known gullwing doorways.
The outcome could be very a lot one thing that appears like a barely toned-down race automotive, and it’s unbelievable to assume that the entire package was constructed from the bottom up in solely two months.
However as you most likely know, One Lap of America isn’t a contest of which automotive seems to be the very best, it’s about efficiency and the widebody conversion would solely be one a part of the automotive’s transformation.
Underneath the hood, the blokes handled the double overhead cam V8 to a supercharger package from Mercedes blower specialists Kleeman in Denmark.
Together with an identical Kleeman exhaust system, the Speedconcepts SLS is now placing down almost 800 horsepower, which is the right soar from the already spectacular inventory output.
Beneath the automotive, the group put in a set of KW Clubsport three-way adjustable shocks together with a customized air suspension package that permits the automotive to be dropped by as much as two inches throughout monitor days.
Filling up the aggressive bodywork are a set of Forgeline GA1R wheels, 20×11-inch within the entrance and 20×12-inch within the rear with 305/30R20 and 335/35R20 Michelin tires respectively.
For the reason that automotive can be seeing loads of exhausting driving, the manufacturing facility seats had been eliminated in favor of Sparco fixed-back buckets with SCHROTH Racing harnesses and harness bar.
Amazingly, the race-ready Sparcos look very at residence within the matching crimson inside and assist the cockpit preserve an incredible stability of each operate and luxury.
Whereas the automotive was accomplished simply in time for the 2013 One Lap occasion, there was sadly no time for monitor testing earlier than the large present started. Due to this, final yr’s occasion basically grew to become a shakedown for the automotive.
By the second to final day, the SLS was working seventh total, however an off-course tour at Virginia Worldwide Raceway broken the entrance fascia, oil cooler and popped a tire. For Speedconcepts the occasion was over.
Subsequent got here the 2013 SEMA Present and the Final Avenue Automotive Problem that adopted.
Along with his monitor expertise within the automotive nonetheless restricted, Todd positioned the SLS in twelfth place of 60 complete opponents in the course of the USCC.
It wasn’t a foul outcome by any means, however Todd says with extra monitor time a podium end needs to be inside simple attain.
So what’s subsequent for the automotive now? For now, the plan is to return to the One Lap of America in 2014 with the automotive absolutely dialed in and able to assault – with a podium end being the clear purpose.
After that, the automotive will reside a comparatively simple life in Florida the place it can function Todd’s day by day driver and likewise because the occasional monitor day weapon.
Todd says the automotive itself is sweet to go, with no future modifications deliberate. He simply desires extra monitor time so he can get comfy extracting each little bit of potential from the SLS.
With race automotive seems to be, race automotive efficiency and all the identical type and sophistication that makes the SLS AMG such a particular machine, I’d say Speedconcepts has really set the right instance of modify a dream automotive.
Mike Garrett
Instagram: japanifornia
Images by Larry Chen
Instagram: larry_chen_foto
