Welcome, everyone, to the 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series, one of the purest street-legal track toys ever created by the folks over at Affalterbach. The humble R230 SL may serve as the base, but this is no ordinary SL. Former TopGear <\/em>presenter, Jeremy Clarkson, who famously reviewed it back in \u201809,<\/a> called it \u2018mind-boggling\u2019 and he\u2019s not wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n With big power courtesy of its 12-cylinder turbocharged powerplant and a silhouette that looks like it just stepped out of cyberpunk, here was an SL that had been extensively reworked by AMG. 350 examples were made, but only 175 units made it to U.S. shores, making it rarer than a quarter of the global McLaren SLR production run and nearly 10 times rarer in the United States. If you\u2019re the sort of collector chasing low-volume, high-drama machines, here\u2019s why this V12 monster is worth considering.\u00a0<\/p>\n At first glance, the SL65 Black Series may look like something cooked up in a virtual concept, but there was method to the madness. The standard R230 was never what you\u2019d call featherweight. The SL, after all, was a grand tourer, and comfort took precedence. So when AMG set out to create the ultimate track toy, they had their work cut out.\u00a0<\/p>\n The SL\u2019s retractable hard top made way for a fixed carbon-fiber roof. The entire body was widened and sculpted using carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), and this shaved over 550 pounds compared to the base SL65. This brought the weight down to 4,122 pounds, which is still rather hefty, but adequate when paired with a custom AMG-tuned suspension, a stiffened chassis, optional carbon ceramic brakes, and most crucially, that hand-built V12 powerplant.\u00a0Mind you, while things do look civilised in the cabin, and the carbon seats and stiff ride will pay dividends on track, the SL Black\u2019s harsh ride has an impact on its on-road usability. Something to keep in mind.<\/p>\n As for that engine, we\u2019re talking about a 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V12 from the standard SL65 AMG, except that for this particular application, AMG\u2019s engineers reinforced the internals, tweaked the turbos, upgraded the intercoolers, and recalibrated the ECU. The result? 661 horsepower, which isn\u2019t that big a number by modern standards, but for \u201809, those were impressive. That\u2019s more power than a Ferrari Enzo.\u00a0<\/p>\n Torque though was pretty substantial at 738 pound-feet. In fact, AMG had to electronically limit the torque to make it work with the five-speed automatic transmssison, which sent power exclusively to the rear wheels. 0-60 mph happens in 3.8 seconds and the top speed is electronically limited to 199 mph, and without the limited, you\u2019re looking at 210 mph.\u00a0<\/p>\n Those extra-wide fender flares are a functional element aiding in high-speed stability, housing a staggered setup with 265\/35ZR19 upfront and 325\/30ZR20 on the rear, which worked with the active wing that deploys at 75 mph to put all that power down.\u00a0 On the N\u00fcrburging Nordschelife, it clocked a lap time of 7:51 minutes, which puts it in the same league as the Ferrari 599 GTB<\/a> (7:47 minutes) and the Porsche 997 GT3 RS<\/a> (7:48 seconds) from the same era.\u00a0<\/p>\n We may only have a handful of brand-new V12-powered models today, but even back in \u201809, it was an endangered species. AMG\u2019s focus had already begun to shift towards the now legendary 6.2-liter V8, which made its way into everything from the C63 and E63 to the gullwing SLS. While the Black Series line was about the aforementioned \u2018brute force\u2019, they all featured V8s. The SL65 Black Series is the only AMG Black Series to ever feature A V12, and that matters, because once you realize that this was AMG\u2019s first, last, and only attempt at a V12 Black Series, its case for collectibility gets a lot clearer.\u00a0<\/p>\n When it hit the showroom floor in 2009, a $300,000 sticker price was rather steep for a beefed up SL for an economy still steeped in recession. Having said that, it was still lesser than the SLR McLaren\u2019s $450,000 from the mid-2000s and Mercedes managed to still sell every single one of them.\u00a0<\/p>\nAMG\u2019s Ultimate Street Weapon<\/h2>\n
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<\/figure>\nMercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series Specs<\/h3>\n
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\n Engine Displacement<\/td>\n 6.0L Twin-Turbo V12<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Engine Configuration<\/td>\n Twin-Turbo V12<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Horsepower<\/td>\n 661 hp<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Torque<\/td>\n 738 lb-ft (limited)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Transmission<\/td>\n 5-speed AMG Speedshift auto<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Curb Weight<\/td>\n ~4,100 lbs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 0\u201360 mph<\/td>\n 3.8 seconds<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Top Speed<\/td>\n 199 mph (electronically limited)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n A V12 Rarity In A World Dominated By V8s<\/h2>\n
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<\/figure>\nValues and Investment Outlook<\/h2>\n
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