Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG

Rolling thunder from Mercedes

This isn't a car - it's a blitzkrieg on wheels! Achingly desirable, the Mercedes SL 65 is the most powerful roadster around, producing the kind of light-bending torque and savage G-forces that Mr Sulu might have relied on when facing an attack by the Klingons.

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It can make the speedometer climb as fast as the rev counter; it offers a whopping 612bhp, and even the most timid of drivers will never be more than a nervous tic on the gas pedal away from losing their licence. God, we love it.

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The engine that tears these fault lines in the space-time continuum is a six-litre monster, hand-built by AMG in Germany. Now, you might think that the Germans would have been content with this superlative V12 lump. But no. Instead, hungry for yet more power, they went and stuck not one, but two turbochargers on it. It's rumoured that in early testing for this engine, Mercedes couldn't build a gearbox capable of handling the enormous torque, resulting in it being detuned to a mere 612bhp (equivalent to about three Golf GTis).

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There's more to the SL 65 than its mighty power plant, though. The whole machine is a technological masterstroke, wrapped in a two-seater bodyshell that becomes a full soft top in less time than it takes to say, "Supper on the King's Road, dahling?" As driving experiences go, it's utterly unforgettable. On the road, especially in the murk of a British winter, the rear-wheel beast has all the straight-line grip and grace of an eel in a bowl of KY jelly. It's not dangerous - the various stability-control programs adequately rein in the power - but it's pretty much impossible to accelerate without the traction control light going ape. We even had it flashing at 100mph when we nailed the SL to rid ourselves of an annoying little tailgater.

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But as any Spider-Man fan will tell you, with great power comes great responsibility. After all, while the SL 65's performance is limited to an Autobahn-tastic 155mph (it can do a scary 200mph when delimited), that's still enough to attract the attention of Mr Plod and earn you a horrendous speeding ban.

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Inside, the car is dressed up with wood, leather and suede - though it's not as effortlessly cool as the new Aston Martin DB9 Volante or as classy as the Bentley Continental GT. It is, however, fitted with every conceivable extra - from that incredible folding hard-top roof to a telly and a bird's-eye satnav system. But then you'd expect every extra when you're paying £143,000 for an automobile.

"But if I ever get a sniff of 143 grand," we hear you cry, "I'm getting myself cryogenically preserved at minus 48 degrees with a couple of Hawaiian hula girls - not buying a goddamn car!" Well, fine - you do that. But just in case you change your mind, we'll keep an SL on ice.