"Supercar" isn't exactly the first word that comes to mind when we think of the three-pointed star, but the 2014 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT's credentials are hard to ignore. From the coupe's 300SL-inspired gullwing doors to the hand-built, 583-horsepower V8 engine roaring under that ridiculously long hood, the SLS AMG GT is nothing if not poster-worthy. In fact, the SLS is the first car to be designed and built entirely in-house at AMG, Mercedes' speed-obsessed skunkworks. If that's not a supercar resumé, we're not sure what is.
The SLS AMG GT has actually become a bit more super over the course of its production run. As Mercedes enthusiasts will recall, the car was known simply as the SLS AMG when it debuted a few years back, and it came with 20 fewer horses and a slightly less aggressive suspension. Also, the soft-top roadster model -- which loses the gullwing doors but gains the great outdoors -- wasn't initially available. But perhaps most significantly, the number of other AMG models using the hand-assembled, 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 has dwindled to just one this year, and with due respect to the less powerful C63 AMG, the SLS AMG GT is clearly the car to have if you want this classic engine in your collection.
Well, there's also one other candidate, at least temporarily. That would be the 2014 SLS AMG Black Series, which is an SLS AMG GT coupe gone completely mental. With a massaged 622-hp version of the 6.2-liter V8 (never mind that AMG insists on calling it a 6.3), the Black Series smashes the magical 100 hp/liter barrier for naturally aspirated engines, aided by a special 8,000-rpm redline. Decked out with a big rear spoiler, flared fenders and wider front and rear tracks, the steroidal SLS Black looks like a racecar, and for better or worse, it drives like one, too. Get one while you can; according to Mercedes, it will only be produced for the 2014 model year, and in very limited quantities at that.
Now, if the visceral thrill of what might be Germany's best-ever V8 engine means less to you than precision handling on a track, other supercars will serve you better. In corners, the Ferrari 458 Italia and McLaren MP4-12C play scalpel to the Benz's chainsaw, while the 2014 Audi R8 features an appealing blend of German rationality and Italian athleticism. On the other end of the spectrum, we suggest sampling Mercedes' own SL65 AMG, as its more spacious and livable interior is likely to be appreciated should you want to drive your supercar over long distances. And with a twin-turbo V12, it offers just as much straight-line, tire-smoking fun.
But nothing else offers iconic gullwing doors or anything like the glorious roar of that AMG V8. Respectable long-distance comfort (for proof, check out our one-year test of a 2012 SLS AMG and Mercedes' user-friendly cabin technology are other benefits. The 2014 SLS AMG GT is a supercar, no doubt, but it's also an enjoyable car in ordinary driving, and that's a particularly exotic feature in this class.