Four seats, 12 cylinders, 630 horsepower: The 2017 Mercedes-AMG S65 Cabriolet
A 12-cylinder engine shoehorned into Mercedes' cavernous four-seat convertible, it'll be hard to top the excesses of the S65 Cabriolet.
The Mercedes-AMG formula is not hard to figure out. Take one of Mercedes-Benz's standard road cars, shove a massively powerful engine into it and add some new standard equipment. No model is immune to this formula, which now extends to the brand's large, four-seat S-Class Cabriolet.
The result is the S65 Cabriolet, which packs the largest engine available through AMG. This 6.0-liter, 12-cylinder engine is good for 630 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque, all of which is sent to the rear wheels by way of a seven-speed automatic transmission. Not that you have efficiency in mind after reading that sentence, but you'll be happy to know that the engine comes equipped with stop-start technology to spare a small amount of gas.
Despite being the largest motor that Mercedes-AMG offers in its vehicles, the 12-cylinder looks right at home under the S-Class Cabriolet's hood.
Aesthetically, there are a few ways to tell this car apart from brethren less capable of alerting the planet's rotation with a single burnout. There's a ton of chrome around the body, a few "V12 Biturbo" badges and AMG's hallmark quad tailpipes. As with the standard S-Class Cabriolet, the S65 will come with a power-operated soft top that's available in four colors and takes just 17 seconds to raise or lower, at speeds up to 31 mph.
Inside, AMG-specific touches include a sportier, three-spoke steering wheel and standard leather sport seats with a unique design. To keep its occupants warm while the car blasts its way up to its 155-mph top speed, the S65 includes both the Aircap air deflector and Airscarf neck-warming system.
There aren't too many changes between the S65 Cabriolet and its slower stablemates, save for a few aesthetic touches.
It's available with Mercedes-Benz's excellent Distronic Plus, which damn near drives the car on its own. Distronic Plus is an umbrella under which lies a host of active and passive safety systems, including adaptive cruise control, active lane and blind-spot assist, steering assist and automated emergency braking.
European buyers can order an S65 Cabriolet starting in April 2016, with deliveries following in May. There's no official word on a US release, but given that every other AMG model tends to find a spot in the US lineup, we'd bet that this car will, too.
There's no word on pricing, but for a bit of context, the fixed-roof Mercedes-AMG S65 Coupe currently starts at $234,050, £181,305 or AU$499,000, depending on your market.
