2010 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class

First Test: 2010 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series

Recession? What recession? Not in the cockpit of this $299,000 carbon-fiber bauble. Not in the engine bay stuffed full of 661 horses. Not anywhere near the sumo crouch of the new Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series, a limited-edition, twin-turbocharged two-seater that wards off any talk of "recession" like a mirror reflecting sunlight.

Does the world need such an extroverted, over-the-top vehicular plaything? Very much so, apparently. Of the 350 examples being built (half of which are headed to U.S. shores this year), a goodly portion were already sold well before the January release. Of course, there's no predicting how many of those buyers are overzealous, overmortgaged, and headed for a quick wheeled foreclosure, but you get the idea. The auto landscape's uppermost crust is apparently always hungry for new and extravagant playthings, financial "hiccups" be damned.

The new top model in the AMG lineup, the twin-turbo, V-12 SL65 Black Series is an extravagant plaything, indeed. If at first glance you mistook it for a DTM race car, you're forgiven. The SL65 Black Series nearly qualifies as one. Its fender flares, which jut out from the bodywork like circa-1980s David Byrne shoulder pads, stretch overall width to nearly six and a half feet. Every body panel except the rear fenders and the doors is made of lightweight carbon fiber-including the new fixed roof, which hides an integrated rollbar. The rear apron incorporates an underbody diffuser for added downforce; also assisting is a rear wing that automatically rises above 75 mph.

AMG employs 60 engine-builders, 40 of whom are trained to produce V-12s. One of those 40 assembles one SL65 Black Series powerplant from start to finish (per the AMG motto "one man, one engine"), a process that takes about seven hours, including testing. Compared with the "normal" SL65, the Black Series gets redesigned, better-breathing turbos; a modified intake tract; and a reengineered exhaust with reduced backpressure. The resulting 6.0-liter monster produces so much torque, AMG uses an electronic limiter to keep the madness in check. Without it, the blown V-12 would produce more like 885 pound-feet. Yet despite the power boost, the Black Series delivers five-percent-better fuel efficiency than the standard SL65. Black magic.