Ready your parting words for the Mercedes-Benz/AMG V12, ladies and gentlemen, as it would appear that the final iterations of the 65 series vehicles are upon us, and will not be renewed going forward. It’s an eventuality many car enthusiasts and industry observers have contemplated, if not outright placed bets on its finality.
Following the demise of the previous big-power G-Wagon, the AMG G 65, Mercedes-Benz’s management has turned its sights on the value proposition the twelve-cylinder SL presents to their bottom line, possibly deeming it a liability.
While the G 65 was a brutish 4x4 mutated for the purposes of attempted high performance to the point of being unrecognisable as well a relative newcomer, theSL 65’s lineage is a little more storied. The flagship 2+2 SL has been sporting V12-power for a few generations now, and has been long associated with effortless speed and luxury.
The change, stemming from MB Passion Blog, considerably more jarring compared to transition between the G 65’s naturally aspirated 5.5-litre V8 to the 4.0-litre bi-turbo unit found in the upcoming G 63 - on the obvious metrics alone, we wonder if the M178 mill can prove to be an adequate alternative to the equally twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre M279 V12 that it will be succeeding.
Today’s SL 65 supplies 463kW and a mighty 1,000Nm to the rear wheels via a 7-speed automatic transmission - in between, its limited slip differential and a bevy of traction control restraints are placed to not overwhelm the roadster and its driver.
By contrast, the most potent production tune of the M178 V8 that will inevitably be tapped to replace it boasts 430kW and 700Nm - not quite there. It’ll be interesting to observe how Mercedes-AMG will approach this issue, and its unlikely it will turn to higher displacement alternatives they all would be from its legacy palette of engines.
However, parent company Daimler’s increased investment in hybrid technology could present a neat route for AMG to match the outgoing SL 65’s lofty outputs while keeping fuel consumption and emissions down, and that is obviously hybridisation.
We know that, eventually, nearly all high performance AMG models will incorporate some form of electrification, a transition that should start with the GT Four-Door due to launch in early 2019. Essentially, it would pair that aforesaid 4.0-litre engine with an electric motor and a battery large enough to support a commutable zero emission range
Given the right ingredients and affordances, an SL with the same powertrain can easily match the 65’s 1,000Nm of peak torque and deliver the kind of unbelievable acceleration fitting of a large luxury convertible with enormous reserves of grunt, perhaps to greater effect than the lone V12.
Some have suggested a combined output of around 600kW is within reach, and in the process bump the car’s standing within AMG’s wacky nomenclature to SL 73. Following this, which is expected during the next model cycle, the only V12 engines made by Benz or AMG would be relegated to cars wearing either a Maybach or Pagani badge.
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