Mercedes SL 63 AMG and SL 65 AMG Roadsters
February 12, 2008 by George Skentzos
Representing the pinnacle of Mercedes engineering and performance prowess, the acronym AMG alone is enough to send shivers down the spine of any car enthusiast, however the numbers associated with its latest additions are simply staggering.
The new Mercedes SL-Class roadsters are the latest to receive the AMG treatment, and what has been produced are two of the worlds most powerful and intimidating drop-tops.
The Mercedes-Benz SL 63 AMG is powered by a 6.3-litre V8 engine developing 386kW and 630Nm – making it the most powerful naturally aspirate V8 engine in its class.
However despite this enormous power, it is still just the baby of the AMG roadster range, with the new SL 65 AMG taking out top honours in performance with its 450kW AMG 6.0-litre biturbo engine which produces an Earth-rotating 1000Nm.
Both models are exclusively matched to the all-new AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed transmission which has been developed jointly between Mercedes-AMG GmbH and Daimler AG.
Designed for high torque and maximum revs up to 7200rpm, the transmission features four drive modes: “C” (Comfort), “S” (Sport), “S+” (Sport plus) and “M” (Manual).
In “C” mode the gearshifts are comfortable, coupled with a “soft” accelerator response set-up for outstandingly smooth power transfer.
In “S” mode the engine and transmission interact with more “bite”: the engine speed is allowed to reach a higher level in each gear; the downshifts also feel more spontaneous. In “M” mode the gearshifts take just 100 milliseconds.
The forte of the Multi-Clutch Technology (MCT) transmission is its ultra-fast kickdown, which is accompanied by precisely metered double-declutching for rapid and virtually load-free downshifts, which pays dividends particularly when braking into a bend on the racetrack.
The driver can change gears either using the new AMG selector lever with its leather and carbon-fibre finish, or by nudging the AMG steering-wheel shift paddles.
The AMG 6.3-litre V8 model will cover zero to 100km/h in just 4.6 seconds, and on to an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h.
The 6.0-litre V12 biturbo engined SL 65 AMG shaves 0.4 seconds off this time, with an identically limited 250km/h top speed.
If these numbers begin to sound tame, bare in mind that these are both convertibles, and torque figures this high should sooner tear the car in half rather than offer nimble track day performance.
Six-piston calipers up front and four-piston calipers down back rope in all those horses, biting down onto 360 x 36-millimetre and 330 x 26-millimetre composite disc brakes respectively. These are intimidatingly nestled behind 19-inch AMG light-alloy wheels in titanium grey finish, with wide 9.5-inch wheels at the rears for gripping the asphalt.
The vario-roof, which opens in 16 seconds and is also available in an optional glass version, continues to ensure an unrivaled open-air driving experience.
The interior features fine nappa leather upholstery, genuine carbon-fibre trim and the multi-way electrically adjustable AMG sports seats with multicontour and memory functions, seat heating, AMG-specific perforation pattern and seat design, and AMG badge as standard.
An optional AIRSCARF neck-level heating system blows warm air through the head-restraints for open-air motoring in cooler weather.
Pricing? If you have to ask.
George Skentzos
Print it: 
i could be wrong but i think these cars have reached the ‘pinnacle’ and will define the end of an era of giant v8 turbo powered erotica(r)
Nice interior!
beautiful car
Ill take two thanks !
sorry but i think its ugly : (
Welcome to uglytown, population new Mercedes series.
Whats with the Korean style headlights and bulbous exterior.
An engineering masterpiece such as these vehicles can not be described as ugly. The two of you can go back to your Swift GTi with the bolt on body kit.
In the vein of the Veyron, they are a thing of pure beauty, and I also want one of each.
Note, however, the incredibly slow gearchanges compared to VW’s DSG – 100ms for the Merc, 8ms for the Veedub :)
Didnt topgear road test a Brabus SL, it produced similar torque and found that the traction control couldnt manage the sheer pull and powering out from corners proved too sensitive?
Reckless1 you might be interested to know that different manufacturers have different ways in which they measure their gear changes, so the figures are not always easily comparable.
Engineering has nothing to do with style Reckless.
Have a look at the hardtops. They have tried to copy the old 300SL’s shape minus the gullwings. Then look at how the headlights have half sharp half rounded edges for no apparent reason. The only other place Ive seen this trend is Korean and Malaysian manufacturers.
Reckless, how much torque can the VW DSG handle? 630nm? I think not.
Ps, any NSW people here I own the number plate “SL-63″ if anyones interested 0407386516 :)
Hey Alborz, before you were born, the Japanese had a different way of measuring horsepower to everyone else :) Datsun 1200s were claimed to produce 13bhp, when in fact they had about 6 :) So different ways of measuring is no surprise. In spite of that, the VW box IS the fastest changing, no matter how anyone else measures theirs.
I wasn’t saying the Merc box was inferior, just musing.
Don’t know what Prumm is getting at, seems that as a Merc fan/owner/past owner he is implying the DSG is not as good as the Merc gearbox simply because it was designed for small cars not large cars. Weird thinking that.
Reckless, even as recently as a few years ago Holden and Ford had different ways by which they measured the power output.
I have no doubt the VW box is the fastest, and I have no doubt its the best (I love it), I was simply stating a fact.
A few months ago we had a long chat with the nice chap from Aston Martin Australia about why his Hyper-shift gearboxes are 140ms, and he gave us a very good explanation of the way they measure it, which is completely different to VW, hence its much longer.
Of course the VW is a dual-clutch system so it already has the next gear ready to go, while the rest have to make that happen on demand.
And as for power, DSG can take it, look at the Bugatti Veyron, that has a DSG gearbox, and that has almost more power than both these AMGs put together (admittedly that is a specially made gearbox that took a good 5 yrs – but hey its a proof of concept)
Haha, sounds like the Aston guy was on the back foot explaining their “slow” gearbox. The marketing department probably spent months penning the response just in case someone asked the dreaded “unanswerable” question. :)
Holden and Ford going at it with “mine are bigger than yours” ????? Wash out your mouth ! :) That would not happen, haha.
NIce! But they don’t do corners like an F430!
Reckless, yes I’m a Merc fan/past owner (but despise the new front end… shudder). I do concur the VW DSG is far “superior” in most all aspects, however there is a reason they don’t have one on their larger cars. And for Alborz, no, DSG can’t take it (torque), else it would be in more VW’s than just transverse mounted small/mid size cars. And don’t bring up the 7 Speed in the Bugatti because that gearbox cost a lot more than a whole VW, not to mention took 50 engineers and god knows how many millions to make. PS, both these AMGs put together make a lot more power than the Bugatti so don’t be facetious, in fact the 65 alone is the only engine in the world that doesn’t look laughable next to the Bugatti because the Veyron makes just 25% more torque (less if the 65 were not limited, albeit without the extra two turbochargers, 2000cc and 4 cylinders).
Why are we even comparing gearboxes from little cars to Luxo-barges and hyper-super-dooper-not-really-a-car cars anyway? Apples and apples people, bring out the facts of the new M3 Convertibles tranny!
*Sigh*, the previous model SL was easily in my top 3 most beautiful cars list… this is just plain fugly. It wouldn’t be if those headlights gelled with the rest of the car better, as it is, they do look VERY Korean.
Can’t argue with the performance though, so I guess that’s a plus.
ugly headlights :-(