I could not think of a better way to spend a sunny summer day than to drive the latest AMG editions of the unique Mercedes SL series. I also had a drive in the new SLK 350, together with a pristine example of the earlier (…) model, which Mercedes Benz had put at our disposal… but that story follows later.

After these drives, I can only repeat that the oldest car manufacturer in the world has more than ever a cunning hand in building “pur sang” sports cars…   

Hans Knol ten Bensel

A strip of airfield on our test route proved ideal to check the performance of the car and is also an ideal photo setting...  

A reborn breed…

Mercedes-Benz launched the new-generation SL-Class this spring. Landmark is the SL 350, which is powered by a newly developed sports engine boasting an impressive output of 232 kW/316 hp yet returns a fuel consumption figure that is 0.4 litres per 100 kilometres lower than its predecessor.

The SL range now features two six-cylinder models in the shape of the SL 350 and the new SL 280 (170 kW/ 231 hp) as well as the familiar SL 500 with a V8 engine and the top-of-the-range SL 600 with a V12 powerplant.

You could see this on an AMG 63 SL on the German Autobahnen, or (very) briefly at standstill when you turn the ignition key...

But I sat this time first at the wheel of still sportier cars:  the 63 and 65 AMG models. I started my test day with the 63 AMG, painted in beautiful silver metallic, as this “Vollblut” car befits.

Behind this wheel with the star is the place for unique driving experiences...

I was immediately transported by the legendary finish, the overwhelming impression of solidity, the beauty of the dials and instruments. But starting up the engine revealed a further sonic delight: this V8 sounds as beautiful and raucous as any high performance V8 engine should be. Driving slowly away over the Belgian cobblestone drive away from the golf club, one notes the smoothness of engine and transmission and the excellent drivability of this car, as any Mercedes should be.

With the engine warmed up and having reached the open country road, I decide to floor the throttle. What awaits me is a most exhilarating experience. I am literally catapulted forward, with the transmission and engine orchestrating a symphony of sound and physical power which Wagner could not possibly have imagined. Here I was, der fliegende Holländer, enjoying the enormous streams of power and pulsing soundwaves coming out of the Unterwelt, which is this time actually not further than a few feet away under the long and sleek silver bonnet. The transmission changes fast and smooth, with the engine responding in a ravishing staccato.

On this airfield strip, driving the AMG 63 can be more exhilirating than flying...

This flying Dutchman has a Teutonic hurricane in its sails. One keeps the throttle floored, enjoying the cosmic wind and engine roar a few seconds more.  The speedo needle races into the higher regions, and it is time to rein in all this power. Come in the brakes, and the car is stopped by an almost supernatural Geisterhand.

We will tell you soon more about my delightful driving experiences, lest but not least the AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed sports transmission is an all-new, unique concept, but let you for the time being enjoy the photos I made of the car on that memorable day…

Hans Knol ten Bensel