Brabus Mercedes SL news - Black or white, bling and fast - 2008

Here's two different ways to improve your Mercedes SL, courtesy of German uber-tuner Brabus and Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen.

In the black corner is the Brabus SV 12 Biturbo S Roadster, fitted with the insane 6.3-litre V12 out of the world's-fastest-saloon Brabus Bullitt. In SL guise, it'll put out - ready for this? - 720bhp and 811 lb ft of torque.

In fact, it actually dishes out 973 lb ft of torque, but the Brabus engineers have had to electronically limit the figure to stop the SL turning itself into the automotive equivalent of a Cheese Twist.

So you're looking at one of the fastest roadsters in the world. Four seconds to 62mph, just over 10 seconds to 124mph and a top speed electronically limited to 219mph. If that all sounds a bit too much, Brabus will tune up your garden SL with a bunch of power mods... or you could just opt for the IWC.

Yes, it's a mere cosmetic job, a special-edition SL63 AMG finished in a swish white (sorry, 'Designo Magno Kashmir') paintjob with brown nappa leather interior - and limited to just 200 examples.

Sure, you get an IWC watch thrown in too, but we still know which of this pair of SLs we'd be backing in a fight to the death.