MERCEDES-AMG PURESPEED

Limited-run take on the SL 63 is a breath of fresh air

- GREG KABLE

There are few better ways to test a car's sense of theatre than by throwing it straight into the Mille Miglia - and we're part of it. Not in a priceless museum piece, but in the wildest, most extroverted Mercedes-AMG SL 63 yet conceived and built: the Purespeed.

To be fair, this is less a first drive verdict and more an event - the kind you dress for. But the luxury speedster, production of which is limited to 250 units, is perhaps as exciting to drive as any road-going Mercedes-AMG has ever been.

Visually, it's striking. There's no windscreen or side windows, just small licks of glass to channel airflow to the right places. The hollow steel halo that dominates the styling - a proper structural item inspired by the latest F1 tech - sits directly in your peripheral vision, giving the Purespeed a unique feel from behind the wheel.

The standard SL's fabric roof is gone, replaced by angular cowls behind each seat. The shark-nose front end is also new; the splitter, winged sills and large diffuser are likewise more aggressive in design. Bespoke 21in wheels, open at the front for brake cooling but all but closed at the rear for aerodynamic efficiency, complete the look with specially developed 275/35 front and 305/30 rear Michelin Pilot Sports.

The windscreen-less Purespeed isn't something you jump into casually for a quick blast: it demands a helmet not for style but for survival over any distance. Even at modest speeds in town, the air blasts into the cabin; once you're past 100mph it gets physical, and the buffeting is strong enough to blur your vision. The commitment required to keep it pinned at higher speeds makes every mile feel earned: the stream of air roars so loudly that even the V8 up front begins to fade into the background.