The good news for petrol heads of the extreme variety is that Mercedes-Benz is not giving up on its mind-bogglingly powerful twin-turbo V12 lump just yet.
Feast your eyes on the all-new SL 65 AMG, which will be hurtled along by a more powerful version of that aforementioned 6-litre engine. Its power output rises from 450kW to 470kW while maximum torque remains at 1000Nm.
This power, of course, it shoved through to the rear wheels via a seven-speed 7G-Tronic 'Speedshift' automatic transmission with four selectable driving modes ranging from 'controlled efficiency' to 'manual'. For added aural delight, the 'box also has a double-declutching function for downshifts.
SHE’S BEEN ON DIET
The other big news is a diet that would make Kate Moss gawk in admiration. Hence the real performance advantage comes from its all-aluminium body shell, which helps make this monstrous roadster 170kg lighter than its predecessor.
Its claimed acceleration times now border right on supercar territory, with a smoky 0-100km/h sprint achieved in just four seconds dead. In fact it'll get to 200 quicker than an average hatchback reaches 100 - in 11.8 seconds to be precise.
You're probably expecting us to tell you how much more efficient it is too. Is the average owner going to care? Well, for the record, the company is claiming a 17 percent improvement in fuel economy, thanks to idle-stop among other features, but we can't imagine said owner getting too close to the 11.6 l/100km claimed combined figure.
The other big question with this car is how does a car put that much power and torque to the tar in, at least, a semi-civilised way?
For this, AMG is relying on an enhanced version of its Active Body Control active suspension system, with the nuts and bolts consisting of a four-link front and multilink independent rear set-up, and there's a three-stage ESP stability system with a 'sport handling' mode for the most hooliganic of drivers. There's also a high performance AMG braking system in plce, complete with six-piston callipers up front and single-pot callipers at the back.
Aiming not to confuse the driver with too many choices, the suspension can be set in either 'sport' or 'comfort' mode at the touch of a button. The newly-developed speed-sensitive AMG sports steering system, complete with a more direct ratio, varies its level of assistance in tandem with the suspension mode.
AMG’S NEW STYLE
Being the most potent AMG on the block, the new SL 65 also gets the honour of wearing AMG's new 'twin-blade' grille style, which you'll also see a variation of in future Allalterbach products. It's also dressed in all the visual kit you'd expect from the division and there's a choice between 19-inch rims at all corners or 19” front, 20” rear. You can also order them in matt black, quite fittingly.