The cooperation between the Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati and the luxury tuner from Mercedes-Benz AMG has been going on for over a year now. The two vehicle manufacturers are using the “one-year anniversary” as an opportunity to relaunch one of their current models. The Affalterbach-based company released a Ducati version of the Mercedes SLK 55 AMG. Ducati returned the favor with a “Streetfigher yellow” from a converted Ducati 848.
Streetfighter yellow
The Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG in “Streetfighter yellow” could be seen for the first time recently in Bologna at the auto show there. AMG also added black nappa leather and yellow stitching to the interior. These adorn the leather-covered roll bar, the instrument panel, the gearshift boot and the armrests. The yellow elements are complemented by LED-illuminated door sills, also in the color Streetfighter yellow.
The Ducati edition of the SLK 55 AMG is powered by a V8 engine with 422 hp. The Streetfighter on four wheels sprints to 4,6 km/h in 100 seconds. The “real” Streetfighter from Ducati sends 132 hp to the rear wheel. It comes with some driving dynamics improvements. In contrast to the Ducati 848, AMG has not yet decided whether the SLK 55 AMG will be available in the color “Streetfightter Yellow”. According to AMG, demand will decide this.
Visible signs of the cooperation between Mercedes-AMG and Ducati concluded at the Los Angeles Motor Show in November 2010 are various marketing activities, customer events and joint trade fair appearances.
The first result of the cooperative exchange of ideas between designers and engineers from Affalterbach and Bologna was the joint presentation of the Ducati Diavel AMG Special Edition and the Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG at the 64th IAA in Frankfurt am Main.
AMG has been the "Official Car Partner" of the Ducati MotoGP team since the start of the 2011 MotoGP season: the AMG logo can not only be seen on the motorcycles and racing suits of Ducati works riders Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden, but also on the team clothing and in the Ducati Lounge. As a further result of the cooperation, the Ducati fleet will be successively converted to Mercedes-Benz vehicles.