Eyebrows were raised when a photograph from the Rockies began circulating the interwebs. The rare shot shows a pair of delectable supercar test mules – the next-generation Pagani Zonda and the new Mercedes SL65 AMG Black Series – undergoing testing side-by-side on public roads. Aside the from the rare occurrence of a non-homologated Zonda on American tarmac, speculation began to ramp up as to what the two were doing together. Conclusion: they must be sharing the same engine.
While that may be the case, it could be a simple instance of AMG doubling-up on their test time, since Pagani renewed its engine deal with the Mercedes tuning house. Previous reports suggested that the supercharged V8 from the outgoing SLR McLaren could be flipped around for duty in the next-gen Zonda, however the SL65 Black uses a much larger 600hp twin-turbo V12. Of course it's impossible to tell at this point, but we'll be keeping our eyes peeled in the meantime.
It's hard not to follow a story like the veritable fleet of new supercars set to follow the controversial Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. The supercar came out of the partnership between Benz and McLaren in Formula One, but while the racing cars have been highly competitive, the SLR has been less so. As a result, Mercedes and McLaren are going their own separate ways for the next generation of high-performance exotica.
Mercedes, with in-house rodders AMG and its racing spin-off, HWA, is preparing two new models to succeed the SLR: the SL65 AMG Black Series (which has been spied many times over) and the SLC (which we've seen disguised in Dodge Viper bodywork). McLaren, meanwhile, is anticipated to produce the new P11 mid-engined supercar on its own, without Mercedes input. The dissolution of the car-producing enterprise between the two powerhouses is not expected to affect their joint grand prix racing program.
The last iteration of the SLR – following the original coupe, the Roadster and the 722 – will be a limited-production lightweight speedster, on which we recently reported. Despite all its available variants, Mercedes has sold fewer than 1600 examples of the SLR to date.
