2014 OUSCI Preview- Michael Werner's 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG

With the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational (OUSCI) now in it's seventh year, it is not uncommon to see an AMG-edition Mercedes-Benz in the field and Michael Werner's 2008 CLK63 Black Series is the latest addition to a growing list of German supercar contenders. Even with all the upgrades found on the AMG package, Werner, like many other OUSCI competitors, is not leaving his fate solely in the hands of factory-approved upgrades.

His own list of upgrades include Weistec rearend bushings and their engine oil/air separator, as well as new GiroDisc brake rotors (cryogenically treated by FrozenRotors), long tube headers from American Racing Headers and a custom full exhaust system by Eurotoys Ltd. That should help bump up the output of a 6.2-liter mill that already produces 545 horsepower and Michael estimates it will end up in the neighborhood of 590-600 horsepower at the crank and weigh in at 3,930 pounds. A carbon fiber front splitter and some carbon fiber accents for the interior are also in the works, in the hope of impressing the judges in the Lingenfelter Performance Design Engineering Challenge.

A relative-newcomer to these events, Werner has gotten up to speed quickly and is steadily moving up in the standings at each OUSCI qualifying event in which he competes. He believes the best combination of driver and car will prevail in Las Vegas and he is all-in for the OUSCI and not holding anything back. He'd like to acknowledge the assistance of his sponsors including Frozen Rotors, GiroDisc, Eurotoys LTD and Modern Horsepower and he hopes to have more onboard soon. We want you onboard at the 2014 OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational. If you didn't see this iconic event in person, add the OPTIMA Network for free on Roku and watch the TV coverage on-demand (and also for free).