Carlsson was a German car
tuning manufacturer specialising in
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...
cars. The Carlsson tuning house was founded by brothers Rolf and Andreas Hartge in 1989. Carlsson's products were available for the entire current range of
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...
models including the
R-Class,
SL-Class,
C-Class and the
GL-Class along with many others. The company is most popular for its range of alloy wheels.
Through a new importer Carlsson began a more aggressive push into the US market in 2006 after debuting their newly modified CL500 (Euro-spec) vehicle at the 2006 SEMA Show. In their review,
Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine said, "... the CL is starting to resemble something more in line with a Bentley Continental - even if it is a little shy when it comes to horsepower."
History
The brothers, Rolf and Andreas Hartge, started a company in 1989 named Carlsson in honor of the Swedish rally driver,
Ingvar Carlsson, who raced for the Mercedes Rally Team during the 1980s.
Carlsson also made cars based on Citroën, SAAB, Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai, and Genesis models.
In 2012,
Zhongsheng Group Holdings Limited acquired 70% of the company's stake.
In 2015, Sambo Motors Co. Ltd., a Korean company, took over with effect from December 4.
Cars
Carlsson CK35 RS Race Car
Based on a Mercedes SLK350 the CK35 RS race car debuted at the Nürburgring 24 hour race in 2005. The Carlsson Racer produces at 6500 rpm and of torque at 3500 rpm. It can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of 265 km/h (165 mph
Carlsson C25
The C25, based on the
Mercedes-Benz SL-Class (R231)#SL 65 AMG (2012–2018), Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG, made its debut at the 2010
Geneva Motor Show
The Geneva International Motor Show was an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva.
The show was hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon was organised b ...
. With a limited run of 25 units, the C25 is powered by a twin-turbocharged
V12 engine
A V12 engine is a twelve-Cylinder (engine), cylinder Internal combustion engine#Reciprocating engines, piston engine where two banks of six cylinders are arranged in a V engine, V configuration around a common crankshaft. V12 engines are more c ...
that generates and of torque. Estimated acceleration from 0–100 km/h (62 mph) is 3.7 seconds and the top speed is 219 mph. (355 km/h)
Carlsson Coachbuilding
In 2007, Carlsson began a coachbuilding program with fashion house
Etienne Aigner. The first example of their work together was a coachbuilt Mercedes CL65, titled the Carlsson Aigner CK65 RS "Eau Rouge." The "Eau Rouge" refers to the famous turn at the Belgian race track
Spa Francorchamps. Producing from Carlsson's engineers the car has a two-tone paint scheme and features a hand crafted wine-colored interior from Etienne Aigner.
[''Modified Luxury & Exotics'' Fast Fashion, PP. 46 to 52, By Dustin A. Woods. Photos by Joost Demuynck. May 2008]
References
External links
Carlsson Official HomepageCarlsson Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.
{{Automotive industry in Germany
Mercedes-Benz
Automotive companies of Germany
Automotive motorsports and performance companies
Companies based in Saarland