Mercedes-Benz R230 SL65 AMG Black Series

The original R230 became a hugely popular car, and in 55 AMG guise, arguably was the model that really raised the in-house tuner's public profile. AMG had been formalised and had produced a significant number of models across the ranges, but the 55 AMG became the car to have.

With that in mind, I often wondered why the 65 AMG, the V12 version, is such a rarity. There was no doubt that when the facelift came, and the new naturally-aspirated 6.3 litre engines shoehorned in, that the SL63 would be another big seller. But what of the V12 model? The first generation R230 SL65 is rarer than hen's teeth with most people looking to choose between the 55 AMG and the standard bi-turbo 600. But with reports of Nurburgring testing and spyshots weaving their way around the internet, the rumours were that the Black Series label would be applied to the V12 model, larger turbos increasing power by over 60bhp, taking away the convertible infrastructure and replacing with a fixed CF roof, also swapping the bonnet, bootlid and side panels with graphite items. At this end of the speed rainbow, raw horsepower can only do such much; a weight reduction of nearly 600 pounds over the basic model is the real fulcrum in any performance comparison.

This is a 3.7 second car. Yes a 997 Turbo will happily engage it in a straight drag race for this short period, but the real story would be told as it starts to pull away as the speeds increase and the road stays free and true. The nose-heavy V12 will induce a noticeable amount of understeer and make it an increasing handful on the track in comparison to other highly-strung competitors, however, if you've ever been party to shredding rubber on Mercedes' Brooklands circuit and wheelspinning around the wet circle in one of their AMG models, then you can be certain that this must be one of the most entertaining sports cars you could ever climb into and press the 'loud' button in.

The big question I have is this: is there actually a standard face-lifted SL65 AMG?