First Glance: Livin' large

I'll admit it -- I'm a sucker for the AMG-designed 6.2 liter V8 that powers all of Mercedes' 63-series AMG cars. The engine is strong as an ox and makes fantastic noises whether it's running full-bore up a freeway onramp or just idling at the curb. Take all that motoriffic goodness and pack it into a rich man's tin-top convertible, and, well, that's the Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG. Fast, loud and beautiful -- what's not to love?
I've never really understood the Mercedes-Benz SL roadster, particularly the megabuck AMG version. As far as I was concerned, the SL was little more than a display case for your trophy wife, or a way for drug dealers and Internet millionaires to give us working stiffs the finger without having to lift, er, a finger.

And then I drove the SL63 AMG.

And now I am wondering how one finds an entry-level position as a drug dealer or an Internet millionaire. (I tried Craigslist. No dice.)
I like to start my reviews by defining the car in question. So what is the SL63? Well, it's stupid. But I mean that in a good way, as in stupid powerful (518 horsepower), stupid fast (0-60 in 4.4 seconds), and stupid expensive ($133k, but only if you're willing to slum it and forgo things like massaging climate-controlled seats).
The SL has undergone a host of changes for 2009, including updated styling and a revised interior. But what I cared most about was the SL63's engine: The AMG-designed 6.2 liter V8 that Mercedes has been dropping into pretty much any and every car they can. (Rumor has it that if you want your Honda Fit to keep getting 36 MPG, you shouldn't park it too close to the AMG factory.) There are a few different versions of this engine, and the SL63 gets the biggie: 518 horsepower, 465 lb-ft of torque, and an exhaust system loud enough to be heard on Neptune. Mercedes makes a more powerful SL -- the $191,575 SL65 AMG, with a 604 hp twin-turbo V12 -- but it doesn't have the bad-boy attitude of the SL63.