Around 2008, Mercedes-Benz was more reserved in its approach to the AMG sub-brand –until it took off like wildfire, of course.

Initially, AMG models sold here in the United States were limited production, often with a forced-induction V8. Then, surprisingly, AMG  produced some black magic: the CLK63 Black Series. Based on the F1 Safety Car (sans a medic’s kit, lightbar and shears for cutting apart carbon-fiber tubs), this naturally-aspirated model was offered in the United States for one year, with only about 350 units available (500 total worldwide). But it showed just what AMG was willing to do to a sport sedan for the sake of performance. The team in Affalterbach stripped out the rear seat, beefed up the suspension, bolted on aero body mods, and fitted fatter tires.Plus, of course, goading more power out of the 6.3-liter V-8, about 500 horses in all. The Black Series is powered by an exclusive AMG mill, built with the motto,“one man, one engine” (note the signature plaque). Drawing on AMG's highly successful racing heritage, the block features a high-strength silicon-aluminum alloy,and is outfitted with four valves per cylinder, variable valve timing, and bucket followers (instead of rocker arms) and a variable intake manifold. Added to that is a special low-friction coating for the running surfaces which has double the hardness of cast-iron cylinders.

That’s all well and good, but still hardly enough for Dave Traitel of TKO Motorsports, a longtime builder of triple-engine offshore race boats and six-second quarter-mile cars fed on pump gas and nitrous oxide.

Back in 2010, heturned his attention to exotic cars, first tinkering on a Lamborghini Murcielago,and later a SL65 Black Series he bought at a local Reno dealership. The service manager there, Kwanny Woo, who would eventually become a good friend of Dave’s, was amazed by all the upgrades he added, some $45,000 worth on a $200,000 car. “I wasn’t used to that,” Kwanny admits. Kwanny is no stranger to performance. He once owned a CLK63 factory demo. Kwanny reluctantly sold it to take care of his mom’s housing needs. Even so, he couldn’t get that car out of his feverish dreams of speed, and would later circle around to get a much enhanced CLK63 through his friend Dave, as we’ll see.

But first, Dave did some heavy breathing on the car. After buying a CLK63 from Mercedes-Benz of Reno, Traitel tore into the car to take it to an even higher level of performance than AMG. He began with TKO’s ARHC (Active Ride Height Control System), along with a double adjustable racing strut and hydraulic lift system. He added a host of other TKO performance parts, such as a billet aluminum strut tower brace, adjustable sway bar links and camber/caster plate. An intricate eight-point, TIG-welded chrome-moly roll cage was built in pieces over six weeks, and bolted into the rear seat area. After Dave weight-balanced the car, he spent a lot of time on the track testing it, and ultimately nailed a three-second improvement in his lap times. On open track days, he had no trouble reeling in competition-built cars on the Sonoma Raceway at Sears Point. Initially Dave understates the results of his chassis mods, “It works very well,” he modestly notes. When pressed though, he provides a more dramatic detail: “If you can pick up a 1/10th second, that’s very good. Three seconds – that’s huge.” Further enhancing the chassis setup are AP Brakes with 15.25-inch rotors up front and 15 inches rear, using six- and four-piston calipers respectively. “It has brakes for days,” Dave says. A set of custom OZ Racing rims, wrapped in Pirelli P Zero rubber reduce unsprung weight. The interior was upgraded for track duty with custom seat bases to support OMP race buckets. Dave needed the body-hugging bolsters of the racing seats, because he also installed a Pedal Max adjustable throttle body response kit to kick up the speed of the drive-by-wire system. No more computer-controlled restraint on the right pedal. Slam your foot down, and the car goes ballistic.

Dave mentioned this modified CLK63 to Kwanny, since he had previously owned a CLK63 Black Series. But it was certainly not like Dave’s, not by a long shot. Hearing of all the upgrades, Kwanny’s immediate response? “Oh yeah, I’m interested.” Putting it more mildly, “I was kinda intrigued by what he had done to the car.” Kwanny’s enthusiasm came as no surprise, considering how many years he’s worked for Mercedes-Benz, and all the Mercedes cars that have been in his family—some 30+ in all, dating back to an ’87 560SEL that his father owned.

Kwanny recalls that he used to spend hours and hours polishing the SEL so it looked brand new, since he had never been able to own a car in his home country of South Korea. As for Kwanny’s longtime employment at Mercedes-Benz, right out of high school in 1978 he started out as a service porter at a Reno dealership, moving and washing cars. From there he worked his way up the ranks to the parts department, and later moved to San Francisco in 1986 as a service manager. Then a few years later a joint Nissan/Mercedes dealer asked Kwanny to return to Reno. Initially he wanted to go back to the parts department, as his workload had been too stressful, but his new supervisor was more accommodating, and convinced him to continue as service manager. One aspect he really appreciated was how his boss really took care of his high-end customers, giving them special attention, a practice that Kwanny emulates to this day.

As proof of his loyalty to the brand, one time he held a Christmas party at his home, and nine Mercedes filled up the street in front of his house. He politely informed his other guests that, “If you aren’t driving a Mercedes, please park across the street.” Kwanny’s driving is not just for show. His need for speed stems in part from attending AMG and Mercedes-Benz driving academies. After driver training sessions at Laguna Seca, and jumping on the throttle through the famous Corkscrew there, “I got hooked on driving at the track!” he enthuses. “Man, that feels good, to get on it, and feel more confident behind the wheel.” At another track day at Thunderhill Raceway he was manning a 2005 SLR, approaching triple-digit speeds. On the back stretch the race driver/instructor sitting next to Kwanny shouted, “Floor it! Floor it!” His wide-eyed reaction: “Holy cow!”

So when Dave offered to make a deal for his race-prepped Black Series, Kwanny didn’t hesitate, and Dave was happy too. “It couldn’t have gone to a better home,” Dave says. “He’s true blue. We’ve been friends for a long time.” Kwanny made one slight change to Dave’s competition upgrades. To get easier cockpit access for daily driving on the street, he unbolted and removed the sidebars that tie the front and rear sections of the roll structure together. Of course,when he tracks the car, they can go back into the chassis in a matter of minutes.

Otherwise, he hasn’t touched a thing.“It’s so perfectly set up – it handles really well,” he says. “And it certainly doesn’t need any more power, all very manageable. I like it just the way it is.”

But howd oes it stack up with the other CLK63 AMG he once owned? Kwanny was able to take his previous CLK63 out on the track a few times, the purpose for which it was designed. By comparison, “TKO’s car has much more precise handling,” he notes. That’s not surprising, considering how much quicker Dave hauled through the twisties at Sonoma. On the street, the shock system has a hydraulic ride height mechanism to raise the nose when needed. Kwanny prefers to keep it low when driving around town, but he can raise it two inches at the push of a button to avoid scraping on driveways or speed bumps. So, what are his future plans for his ultra-rare, extensively upgraded CLK63? Right now Kwanny can’t keep his hands off the car, so he drives it as often as possible. And when he eventually retires (in a few years, he allows), he plans to hit the track on a more regular basis – taking the CLK63 right where it really belongs.