The original Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing was a road-going derivative of the 300 SLR racing car. Appropriately, then, the SLS AMG, the Gullwing’s retro-inspired modern successor, spawned a racing version, the SLS AMG GT3, which in turn evolved into a road-going “ultimate SLS,” the so-called Black Series.

Exhaustive effort was given to make the Black Series a true supercar that could compete with the likes of Lamborghini’s Gallardo and the Ferrari 458 Italia. Its engine was boosted to 622 horsepower, and the redline increased to 8,000 rpm by means of a revised high-speed valvetrain with modified camshafts, revised cam geometry, and special racing-specification tappets and intake air ducting. Carbon fiber was used extensively in the body panels, mechanical components, and inner framework; the interior was trimmed largely in Alcantara; and the factory steel exhaust was replaced by a unique titanium system, all reducing weight. Performance suspension, an electronically controlled AMG rear-axle differential lock, and the utilization of other AMG components throughout enabled road use at the far end of extreme.

The result was a car 150 pounds lighter than a standard SLS AMG, more powerful, and altogether a genuine space shuttle on the street, with 0–60 mph possible in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 196 mph.

The SLS AMG Black Series made its debut at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show, with the first examples reaching the market in June 2013 and the first U.S.-market models delivered that summer. Only 132 of the cars were shipped to the United States, finished in nine colors, of which one of the rarer colors was the new AMG shade, Solarbeam Yellow.

The car offered here is one of the 30 U.S.-delivery Solarbeam Yellow cars and had been driven only 315 miles at the time of cataloguing. Complete with its original books, it has several optional features, including the desirable Bang & Olufsen sound system (designed especially for this model) and AMG Black Series forged wheels, the latter giving it an especially menacing and purposeful appearance. While it is fully road legal and remains in “as-new” condition, it would need only racing numbers to look the part of a full-bore competition machine—and its performance is no less spectacular.

For the speed enthusiast who missed out on buying an SLS AMG Black Series when they were new, this pristine example is the next best thing.