The Mercedes-AMG Black Series badge has only ever been worn by two cars from the SL lineage — the 2009 SL65 AMG Black Series, a 661 PS twin-turbo V12 fixed-roof coupé built on the R230 SL platform, and the 2013 SLS AMG Black Series, the 631 PS, 8,000 rpm naturally-aspirated V8 gullwing inspired by the SLS AMG GT3 racer. Both were capped at 350 units worldwide, both are now changing hands between $300,000 and $940,000 at major auctions — and with AMG CEO Michael Schiebe confirming in February 2026 that the Black Series will continue, demand for these two founding members is climbing fast.
This is the technical, neutral story of two cars that took fundamentally different routes to the same destination: a hand-built, stripped-down, road-legal interpretation of an AMG halo. One pursued raw torque on a continental GT chassis; the other pursued atmospheric peak power on a tubular aluminium spaceframe. Twelve years on, with the V12 turbo and atmospheric V8 era closed, both are now treated as appreciating assets.
Two Cars, One Mission — What Makes a Black Series
The Black Series programme is run by AMG Lightweight Performance — a small in-house skunkworks tasked with re-engineering an existing AMG into a sharper, harder, faster, lighter version. The lineage runs CLK63 BS (2007), SL65 BS (2009), C63 BS (2012), SLS BS (2013) and AMG GT BS (2021). Production runs are always small, the cars always carry their own bodywork, suspension hardpoints and engine calibrations, and they are always the most extreme road-legal AMG of their generation.
The SL65 Black Series and the SLS Black Series are two of the most divergent entries on that list: a Grand Tourer aimed at outright torque, and a homologation-spirited gullwing aimed at outright revs. Looking at both together is the cleanest way to see what the Black badge actually means.
2009 SL65 AMG Black Series — 661 PS V12 GT With a Fixed Carbon Roof
The SL65 Black Series took the R230-generation SL65 AMG and removed the folding hardtop, installing a fixed carbon-fibre roof bonded permanently to the bodyshell. Mercedes also fitted carbon front fenders, hood, trunk lid, splitter and diffuser. Net weight reduction: roughly 210 lb (~95 kg). The standard SL65's electric soft-top, multimedia and comfort kit were dropped in favour of structural rigidity.
Under the carbon hood sits the 6.0-litre M275 V12 twin-turbo — the same engine family used in the contemporary Maybach 57S and Pagani Zonda F. AMG re-calibrated it to 661 PS at 5,400 rpm. Peak torque is officially limited to 738 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) to protect the gearbox, with up to 885 lb-ft available before electronic intervention. The only transmission Mercedes trusted with that load was a 5-speed automatic; no manual was offered.
Mercedes quoted 0–100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph) with the limiter engaged. The chassis was reinforced with a wider front track (+57 mm) and rear track (+44 mm), 19-inch forged AMG wheels, and KW-derived coilover suspension. Carbon-ceramic brakes were standard. Total production was capped at 350 units worldwide, of which 175 went to the United States; right-hand-drive cars numbered roughly 30, with only 12 destined for the UK. MSRP at launch in 2009 was approximately $300,000 ([Car and Driver](https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a17011494/2010-mercedes-benz-sl65-amg-black-series-first-drive-review/)).
2013 SLS AMG Black Series — The Most Powerful Naturally-Aspirated V8 of Its Era
If the SL65 Black Series was an exercise in turbocharged torque, the SLS Black Series was the opposite: a stripped, sharpened version of the gullwing SLS, engineered to extract maximum performance from an atmospheric V8. The 6.2-litre M159 V8 was re-tuned with a stiffer valvetrain and a higher redline. Peak power rose to 631 PS at 7,400 rpm; the redline was lifted from 7,200 to 8,000 rpm. Peak torque is 635 Nm at 5,500 rpm — actually lower than the standard SLS's 650 Nm, because AMG re-shaped the curve for top-end response rather than mid-range punch ([Car and Driver](https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15116405/2014-mercedes-benz-sls-amg-black-series-first-drive-review/)).
Curb weight is 1,550 kg DIN — 70 kg lighter than the standard SLS AMG and the best power-to-weight ratio of any Black Series at the time. The diet came from a carbon-fibre torque tube (replacing aluminium), a lithium-ion starter battery, a titanium exhaust system (-13 kg), forged aluminium wheels, and carbon-Kevlar bucket seats. Carbon-ceramic brakes were standard. The chassis was widened +20 mm front and +24 mm rear with new geometry, and the standard SLS's mechanical limited-slip differential was replaced with an electronic locking differential.
Mercedes quoted 0–100 km/h in 3.6 seconds; Car and Driver independently measured 3.2 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 315 km/h. The 7-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT was re-tuned with shorter throws and faster shifts. Production was again capped at 350 units worldwide, with 150 cars allocated to the US market. Crucially, the SLS Black Series remained the most powerful naturally-aspirated production V8 until the C8 Corvette Z06 (5.5L LT6) eclipsed it in 2023.
Inside the Two Cars — Different Eras, Different Cockpits
The SL65 Black Series interior is a 2008-era GT cabin: COMAND multimedia, AMG sport seats trimmed in leather and Alcantara, carbon trim plates on the centre tunnel and the dash facia. The SLS Black Series interior is leaner: hard-shell carbon-Kevlar buckets with Alcantara inserts, a stripped centre console, AMG performance steering wheel and an instrument cluster with a dedicated Black Series start-up animation.
Collector Values — Both Heading Toward Seven Figures
Auction data from the past three years confirms that both cars are appreciating, but the SLS Black Series is appreciating faster and from a higher base.
SL65 AMG Black Series — Classic.com tracks an average sale price of approximately $351,833, with a band running from roughly $222,000 to $425,000. Recent results: 2025 RM Sotheby's online auction at $302,500, the 2024 RM Sotheby's London sale at £331,250 (~$415,000), 2023 Munich at €365,000, and a 2022 RENNtech-tuned example at $425,000, currently the recorded high. Cars with documented history and low mileage now sit comfortably above MSRP after fifteen years.
SLS AMG Black Series — the curve here is steeper. Recent Glenmarch-tracked sales include 2025 RM Sotheby's Monterey at $676,000, 2025 Arizona at $775,000, 2024 Monaco at €713,750, and a 2023 Amelia Island record of $940,000. Several specialist UK dealers have asked above the $1 million mark on delivery-mile cars, and YouTube collector Tim Burton (Schmee150) recently described the SLS Black Series as “now potentially a million-dollar car”.
Three drivers explain why the SLS BS leads on value. First, gullwing doors — the only Black Series ever fitted with them. Second, the M159 is the last naturally-aspirated V8 AMG will ever build for a halo car. Third, the SLS Black Series is the closest road-legal car to the SLS AMG GT3 customer race chassis — the entire spaceframe, suspension geometry, aero pack and final-drive ratio all trace back to the GT3 programme.
What Comes Next — The Black Series Will Return
In February 2026, current AMG CEO Michael Schiebe confirmed that the Black Series programme will continue. The succession plan was announced shortly after: Stefan Weckbach, formerly Porsche's Vice President for the Taycan, takes over as Mercedes-AMG CEO from July 2026 ([Car and Driver](https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a70300359/mercedes-amg-black-series-cars-future/)).
Both Schiebe and Weckbach are publicly committed to keeping AMG's halo identity alive through internal combustion. The strongest tip for the next Black Series is the AMG GT Track Sport concept that was track-tested in summer 2025 — expected to be revealed as a road car wearing the Black badge in the 2027 model year. Whatever it turns out to be, it will not be a V12 twin-turbo and it will not be a naturally-aspirated V8. The SL65 and SLS Black Series are, by definition, the last of those two breeds. That is the single most important factor underwriting their current trajectory at auction.
Status — Where Each Car Sits in 2026
SL65 AMG Black Series: appreciating steadily, undervalued relative to the SLS BS, with a cleaner appreciation curve still ahead of it. The combination of 661 PS, the M275 V12 (no longer produced) and a 350-unit cap places it in the same bracket as the early Pagani Zonda family on engine pedigree alone. Documented, low-mileage US-spec cars are the most active segment.
SLS AMG Black Series: the senior member of the modern Black Series pantheon by value. Records have moved from $750k in 2022 to $940k in 2023, with private $1m+ asking prices observed since 2024. A first verified public auction result over $1 million is widely expected within the next 12–24 months.
