Skip to main content

Race trophies in hand, Mercedes-Benz unveils SL63 AMG World Championship Editions

After a virtual shellacking of the 2014 Formula 1 Season, Mercedes-Benz has big reasons to celebrate.

Drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg competed for 16 first-place finishes out of 19 tries this year, and the team has a Driver’s Championship and Manufacturer’s Title to show for it.

In commemoration, the German automaker has unveiled two limited, special edition versions of the SL63 AMG roadster, each of which will be limited to 19 units.

The first version is finished in smooth and classy white, designed with input from Nico Roseberg. Its ‘himalayas grey’ accents resemble fine china splayed over designer cloth, with a cashmere-adorned interior that’ll probably give you cravings for sweet dessert.

As a special homage to the Roseberg, the AMG wears an outline of the Hockeheim circuit on its floor mats. As you may have guessed, it’s one of the many tracks where the German driver earned pole position.

Hamilton’s version looks more like a gold-lined smoking jacket, one that Mercedes dubs “athletic and challenging.” The droptop S-Class is the more aggressive-looking of the pair, sports detachable mirrors and door handles, and features a map of the Silverstone track on its carpet.

No matter the color scheme, the SL63 AMG World Championship 2014 Collector’s Edition costs $399,303, which includes a helmet worn by its respective competitor. However, if one ultra-exclusive commemorative Mercedes is enough for you, you’ll have to wait. The roadsters will only be sold as a pair at first, for a doorbuster sale of $785,247. Individual units will become available later.

Under the hood, a 5.5-liter biturbo V8 provides 577 horsepower and 644 pound-feet of torque for racecar-like excitement. 0 to 60 mph acceleration comes in just 4.1 seconds, however it’ll feel a bit quicker when the wind is blowing through the hair(pieces) of its drivers.

With these limited edition SL63s, Mercedes-Benz says something your middle school basketball coach would never admit.

Sometimes, winning is everything.

(Video hosted by World Car Fans)

Andrew Hard
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Andrew first started writing in middle school and hasn't put the pen down since. Whether it's technology, music, sports, or…
Tesla’s ‘Model Q’ to arrive in 2025 at a price under $30K, Deutsche Bank says
teslas model q to arrive in 2025 at a price under 30k deutsche bank says y range desktop lhd v2

Only a short month and half ago, Tesla CEO Elon Musk told investors that outside of the just-released driverless robotaxi, a regular Tesla model priced at $25,000 would be “pointless” and “silly”.

"It would be completely at odds with what we believe,” Musk said.

Read more
It looks like the end of the road for Cruise robotaxis
A Cruise autonomous car.

Autonomous-driving operations at Cruise look certain to end after its main backer, General Motors (GM), said it will stop funding the initiative.

GM, which has owned about 90% of Cruise since 2016, announced the decision in a statement shared on Tuesday. It follows a challenging period for Cruise after one of its autonomous cars ran over a woman after she was knocked into its path by a human-driven car in San Francisco in October 2023. The incident led to California regulators suspending Cruise's license to test its driverless cars on the state's streets, a decision that prompted Cruise to pause operations in other locations where it operated. It restarted low-level testing in Arizona in May 2024.

Read more
Hyundai Ioniq 9 vs. Kia EV9: Electric SUV sisters battle it out
Hyundai Ioniq 9 driving

The long-awaited Hyundai Ioniq 9 is finally on its way. Hyundai has taken the wraps off a production-ready version of the electric SUV, showing a modern vehicle that could well be the electric SUV to beat when it finally rolls out to the public. But it will have to contend with Hyundai’s sister company in order to truly gain the title of best electric SUV in its price range. The Kia EV9 has been a go-to option for a few years now.

But is one of these SUVs actually better, or are they just different? We put the Hyundai Ioniq 9 and the Kia EV9 head to head to find out.
Design
There are some similarities in the designs of the Hyundai Ioniq 9 and the Kia EV9, but they also look a little different. First, the similarities. Both vehicles are clearly SUVs, with larger blocky shapes. But, while the Kia EV9 has straight lines and sharper angles, the Ioniq 9 is a little curvier, with a rounded roofline and sculpted curves in the side panels.

Read more