C O V E R     S T O R Y

Insanely high speeds, blisteringly quick acceleration and jaw dropping beauty often come with a price—and a prancing horse on the hood.  Sure enough, the likes of the Ferrari 550 Maranello, as well as rivals like the Porsche 911 GT2 are some excellent examples of European style grand touring, where 300 kilometers per hour is a walk in the park and watching ladies swooning over the curvaceous sheet metal is like having a meal at McDonald’s. 

Now what if there was a less expensive way—USD85,000 less than the Ferrari—to be part of this exclusive club and still have the same level of respect and veneration from all those who pass by?  Take note—we’re not talking about cars like the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution or the Nissan Skyline GTR which possess the supercar mechanicals but not the mouthwatering body. What we are referring to here is the new Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG.  Although Mercedes isn’t known for doing anything cheaply, the SL55 a relative bargain compared to its rival from Maranello.  With an estimated sticker price of USD130,000, the SL55 can easily out grunt any production sports car available on the planet with its supercharged 5.5-liter 24-valve V8. 

Despite it being “only” a V8, the blown 476-hp engine out-horses the Aston Martin Vanquish’s 450-hp V12 power plant, while out-torquing the 5.5-liter V12 of the 550 Maranello: 572 Nm vs. 700 Nm—at 2650 rpm!  In fact, the power plant is so strong that only the Lamborghini Murciélago can seriously out-power it, and only the Bentley Arnage can out-torque it, but no production car can do both.  Despite the not-so-Licht 1,955 kilogram curb weight, the acceleration figures are un-Mercedes like: 0-100 km/h in 4.7 seconds and 0-200 km/h in a little over 15 seconds. 

While the Ferrari V12 shrieks its way to its redline, the SL55 behaves quite differently below 2500 rpm.  Before the supercharger kicks in, the SL55 is as typical and sensible as any big engined grand tourer.  Once the blower kicks in, the Merc changes from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde, accompanied by an unearthly howl loud enough to scare other traffic out of the SL’s path.  Such is the level of auditory crescendo that this new Mercedes-Benz grand tourer produces.  Now if there’s any doubt left as to the SL’s capabilities, just watch it lead every Formula One race this season—as the official safety car.

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