This is the new Mercedes SLK55 AMG Roadster, unveiled ahead of its in-the-metal debut at the Frankfurt motor show this September.
It is also proof that the folks at Mercedes must be closet Taoists - it's barely a week since Merc unveiled its super-frugal 59mpg turbodiesel SLK and now the AMG folks in Affalterbach are putting the finishing touches on the 5.5-litre, 416bhp V8 SLK 55 AMG. Yin and yang, anyone?
Essentially a non-turbocharged version of the biturbo 5.5-litre V8 (the M157) that is finding its way into most AMG-badged Mercs, the new 'M152' motor gives 416bhp and 398lb ft of torque.
Coupled to an AMG SpeedShift Plus 7G-TRONIC transmission (snappy title, that) the new V8 is enough to shove the SLK 55 to 62mph from rest in 4.5secs and on to the (inevitably electronically limited) 155mph top speed.
The new engine also carries some green-cred, with a start/stop function and trick cylinder management (cylinders two, three, five and eight are cut off under partial load) pushing the car's combined fuel consumption figure out to around 33mpg.
Coping with the power is a chassis that features AMG sports suspension (stiffer spring/damper rates and beefier anti-roll bars) and a couple of party tricks: torque-vectoring brakes and AMG Direct-Steer.
Torque Vectoring Brakes (and we quote from the press release here) produce a "defined rotational movement of the vehicle about the vertical axis in fractions of seconds, through selective brake actuation at the rear wheel on the inside of the bend. This results in the SLK55 AMG steering into the turn precisely and under full control, without any compromises where performance is concerned."
The Direct-Steer, meanwhile, 'enhances handling and agility' (though we're not entirely sure how).
Inside, the SLK 55 AMG gets a gentler makeover, with AMG sports seats, aluminium trim and a new instrument cluster.