By Nick Syn

MERCEDES-BENZ, THROUGH its slightly unhinged AMG division, is a forerunner in the loony quest amongst manufacturers for increasingly higher power outputs, and to prove that point, AMG is set to unveil the world’s most powerful series production sedan, the S 65.

Based on the highly acclaimed, all-new version of the S-Class, the S 65 AMG will officially be launched at the Detroit Motor Show later this month, no doubt to the delight of petrol-mad, plutocrat enthusiasts the world over.

To those in the know, what AMG essentially does is to take “ordinary” Mercedes-Benz cars and burnish them with a healthy dose of restrained insanity. A 500bhp output was no big deal for AMG’s recently replaced supercharged 5.5-litre V8 engine, but for the flagship V12, no less than 612bhp would do. And thanks to the two turbochargers breathing heavily on both cylinder banks, the AMG V12 also grunts out a mind-boggling 1,000Nm of torque, more than even the Mercedes McLaren SLR supercar.

The S 65 demolishes the century sprint in just 4.4 seconds, and will hit 200km/h in a scarcely believable 13.3 seconds. AMG sports suspension coupled with Active Body Control technology should allow the big Mercedes to handle as well as it goes.

And just because the sight of one hammering around a racetrack would make even the most jaded of car nuts break out into a silly grin, AMG has also included a handy lap timer. What other large executive express has that?

Understandably, AMG doesn’t just shoehorn a big, forcibly aspirated engine into a standard Mercedes car. In fact, a comprehensive host of upgrades are called for to make sure that the car can comfortably cope with all the extra power. And the S 65 has a veritable boatload of extra power. Have a gander at some of AMG’s improvements.

Engine
Hardly any bits of the AMG V12 are shared with the standard Mercedes powerplant. In building it, AMG engineers called on their motorsports expertise, and the unit features reinforced bearings, special pistons, a precision balanced crankshaft and a bespoke oil cooling system. In addition, 750Nm of the engine’s monster torque is available from just 1,500rpm

Drivetrain
An ordinary Mercedes drivetrain would noisily explode if it had to deal with 1,000Nm of torque. The S 65 features reinforced driveshafts, modified gearchange and torque converter logic systems, as well as larger wheel hub carriers

Interior
Expectedly, a host of AMG accents adorn the interior. There are dynamically active front seats in exclusive leather upholstery, an IWC Ingeniur-inspired clock, a specially sculpted steering wheel as well as a novel lap timer function that AMG dubs “Racetimer”

Brakes
The S 65 features a newly developed version of AMG’s ceramic braking technology. The front brakes feature twin sliding callipers, for improved heat dissipation. The front and rear discs are a massive 390 and 365mm in diameter respectively, barely contained behind smoked 19-inch lightweight AMG alloys