The problem with being a Jack-of-all-trades, the cliche tells us, is that you end up being a master of none. Take the Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG for example: it needs to provide a ride soft enough to coddle buyers of an advanced age, while delivering a ride entertaining enough to attract younger buyers. It needs to function as a roadster with the top retracted, but needs to work equally well as a coupe with the top up in bad weather. Building a grand touring sports hardtop roadster is a tall order on its own, but attempting to build the best example in the world makes the task that much harder.
Harris calls the new SL63 AMG a “far, far better car than the one it replaces.” It’s 275 pounds lighter than the previous model and blessed with a stiffer structure, which means fewer squeaks and rattles over uneven pavement. It’s got more power too, with up to 564 horsepower and 663 pound feet of torque when the Performance Package option box is checked.
While Harris praises the car, he’s most impressed with its attention to engineering detail. Wipers, for example, spray windshield cleaner through a series of nozzles on the wiper arm itself, and then only on the downstroke. Why? As anyone who’s ever owned a convertible will tell you, to avoid spraying passengers with wiper fluid.
As you’d guess, perfection comes at a price. Harris doesn’t bring it up, but we will: the U.S. base price for the 2013 SL63 AMG will be $143,800, but that price will climb quickly as option boxes are checked. While 2013 option pricing hasn’t been set, the AMG Performance Packaged added $12,900 to the cost of the 2012 model, which makes the “as seen here” price somewhere north of $157,000 by the time you add in the destination charge. Is it worth that kind of money? We’ll bet that Chris Harris would say yes.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
