Some things on this planet successfully display their potential with a simple stance. A cobra, for example, need do nothing more than spread its hooded head and hiss. Without anything further you know its time to either run or kiss your ass goodbye. Mercedes has achieved a similarly menacing posture with the AMG SL 65 Black Series. At first glance, you’d swear it’s a DTM car with fender flares so wide… well, forget the metaphor — they’re just really, really, freakin’ wide. It’s a vicious looking beast for sure, but does it have the bite to back the growl?

Last Friday I drove an SL Black through the coastal range south of San Francisco down to Monterey then onto our ultimate destination, the famed Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The morning was a little rough with a 6:00 am flight out of Las Vegas following four hard days and nights at SEMA, but I’d been waiting for this opportunity since first spying an SL65 Black Series in the AMG showroom two months ago during my recent European vacation. The first step was just getting the (potential) beast out of the parking lot. I’m not too proud to say that to me, in tight confines, the Black feels about as wieldy as a dually parked in a petting zoo. But once we’re motoring, the perceived width disappears and I’m feeling poised for business. Hopefully serious business!  

Thrown into rush hour traffic the Black shows the first of many of its fortes over similarly priced supercars. For such a seemingly aggressive and purposeful machine, highway driving is pure pleasure. Concrete freeway joints are noticeable but don’t interfere with my comfort. The steering is responsive without being twitchy. And something else interesting — I’ve had my share of, lets say, envious looks while bouncing down the San Diego Freeway in more obvious supercars — Enzos, Murcielagos and the like. But the Black is different. Or maybe it’s that the locals are slightly more mild mannered? The Nor Cal motorists swarmed around the Merc with looks of intrigue and curiosity. Kind of like they were checking out a well known actress who’d just had a boob job: familiar at first glance but there is most definitely something different! [Ed Note: Comparing cars to girls again, eh Tanner?]

The surprising lack of ego and pretentiousness aside, this Black Series has gross amounts of power shoved out its twin turbo V12. Literally, gross, as in German for big – 670 horsepower! The thrill of having such a power advantage over basically all other cars on the road is undeniably wonderful. Kind of like ice driving in a snow jeep on racing spiked tires around a bunch on Lincoln Town cars on slicks. I could go anywhere I chose, and with over 730 lb-ft of torque, I could pass anything and everything. Insert Tim Allen grunts here. 

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