Back to Black

The SL65's mighty 6.0-litre V12 didn't escape Dr Frankenblack's knife, either. A pair of massive new turbos, larger air intakes and exhausts boost power from 612bhp to 670bhp - a full 53bhp more than the McMerc SLR, 69bhp more than the Ferrari 599. There's 737lb ft of torque available, curbed by 20 per cent or so to prevent the SL's five-speed auto gearbox turning itself into a messy, cog-strewn interpretation of a cheese twist. On a warm, balmy day on, say, a race circuit in the south of France - Merc expects the Black to spend half its life on the track - this would be a wonderful thing to have under the deployment of your right foot. Right now, it's like having your toe trapped in the pin of a grenade.