This Monstrous Mercedes SL65 AMG Black Series Could Be Yours If You've A Spare Quarter Million Lying Around

With 570bhp, GT3-derived suspension and aggressive new aero to expect, the incoming AMG GT-R should be quite some beast. But ultra-hardcore AMG Mercs are nothing new: if you look back only a few years you’ll find the wizards of Affalterbach pumped out all manner of bombastic products labelled ‘Black Series’. And one of the most intriguing is this: the SL65 Black Series.

Sure, the SLS Black is probably a more relevant car to be talking about right now, but the Black Series’d SL is arguably a greater departure from the standard model it’s based on. For a start there are those wide arches and massive intakes at the front: it looks like no other SL we’ve ever seen. More importantly though, it lost the SL’s famous folding hard top roof to create a fixed-head coupe. AMG really wasn’t pissing about with this one.

The loss of the roof and the use of carbonfibre throughout the car’s build gave a huge 250kg drop in weight, while the 6.0-litre V12 under the long bonnet was boosted from 594bhp to 661bhp thanks in part to larger turbochargers. The torque had to be limited to 737lb ft, as the uncapped 900lb ft would stand a good chance of lunching the gearbox. And digging a hole in the tarmac with the rear tyres every time the driver floored it.

In the suspension department, the Black lost the standard SL65’s adaptive suspension system for a more conventional - and lighter - set of coilovers. The track was widened too, by a massive 97mm at the front, and 85mm at the rear. Few cars deserve to be described as ‘weapons grade’ quite so much as this one.

I’ve yet to sample one of these part carbonfibre missiles for myself (trust me, it’s on my motoring bucket list), but the SL65 Black didn’t win too many plaudits from road testers at the time for the sharpness of its handling. Still, few argued with the outrageous pace - it’ll do 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds, and top out at 199mph. Sans electronic limiter, it’s apparently good for 220mph.

Only 350 were made, so if you want one, you’ll have to search for a while, and be rather rich. This example is the only SL65 Black we could find for sale in the whole country, and it’s up for £249,950 - just £50 less than it was brand new.