"At the other end of the scale from the A-Class, Merc is building a luxury saloon with supercar performance. As the power struggle between AMG and the German maker's other affiliated tuner Brabus intensifies, the former is working on a new flagship, the S69 AMG.

Producing in excess of 675bhp, the model is set to be the wildest S-Class yet, with a larger-capacity version of the 6.0-litre bi-turbo V12 from the S65 (right). With torque expected to be in excess of 1,000Nm, finding a reliable transmission to handle it will have been difficult - but our sources say engineers have managed to do so. In preparation for the introduction of the newcomer, Mercedes has registered the S69 trademark, along with SL69 and CL69. That means we've got a whole range of flagships to look forward to. "



True, power is nothing without control, I've learnt that much staying here But it'd be rude not to!