Automotive theater just doesn't get any more theatrical than this. Stroll nonchalantly towards the fabulous new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, tug gently on the door handle, and watch in wonderment as the door levitates skywards.
Heads spin. Jaws drop. Children point with mouths agape. Elvis strolling arm-in-arm with the Wookie from Star Wars wouldn't cause this kind of reaction.
This brand new SLS is the spiritual, and worthy, successor to the old 300SL Gullwing. It goes on sale next April with a price tag estimated at around $200,000 - half the price and light years ahead of that over-priced, squirrelly-handling McLaren SLR.
I love this car. And not just because of its flappy doors. It's the raw ferocity of its performance, the precision of its handling, the might of its braking. Fire it along a twisty backroad and a ride on Disney's Space Mountain simply pales into insignificance.
It's been developed from a clean sheet by Mercs' in-house tuning division, AMG. Power comes from AMG's familiar 6.2-liter V8 but with a few racecar-inspired tweaks, that bump up the horsepower to a healthy 563bhp - enough to rocket it to 60 from standstill in a mere 3.7 seconds and on to an electronically-limited top speed of 197 mph.
Much of its projectile performance is down to the car's super-stiff, all-aluminum spaceframe that weighs roughly the same as a supermodel in skivvies.
And talking of bodies, the SLS's breathtaking shape comes with just enough styling cues from the original Gullwing to acknowledge the parentage, but not too many to make it appear overly retro.
Ease yourself in to the Merc's hip-hugging bucket driver's seat - definitely a tight-squeeze for those wide of beam - and the car seems to shrink around you. All-round vision is terrific.
Yes, it's a big stretch to reach upwards and haul down that gullwing door. But you quickly learn the technique of grabbing hold of the handle as you step into the car, pulling down the door as you drop into the seat. You also quickly learn to duck as you're getting out.
Prod the big 'start' button on the center console and the AMG V8 fires-up with the ferocity of Dale Jnr's stocker. Pull back on the right side paddle shifter controlling the new seven-speed dual-clutch transaxle to engage 'drive', squeeze the throttle, and the SLS blasts away like it's been released from some invisible catapult.
You'd buy this car simply for the noise alone. The crackling overrun; the big V8 bellow as you pour on the power from mid-range; the mad-as-hell grunt as the tach needle spins past the six-thousand mark. Just awesome.
This is simply one of the world's most exhilarating, exciting, and rewarding cars to drive. And while it's in its element being thrashed around the racetrack, it's also docile and tractable enough to make runs to the grocery store.
Amazingly, this is just the first of a family of SLS models. Next up is a convertible roadster version, followed by an even more powerful Black Series model, followed by an all-electric version.
With bigger winged doors, they might even be able to make one that flies.