MERCEDES-BENZ SL SPECIAL EDITION MILLE MIGLIA 417

To celebrate a rather shocking win by a 300 SL in the Mille Miglia endurance race 60 years ago, Mercedes-Benz is tipping its cap with a very special edition of its SL Roadster.

Boasting upgraded performance as well as new styling touches and creature comforts, the SL Special Edition Mille Miglia 417 will be available as SL 400 and SL 500 models. The SL 400 is driven by a six-cylinder engine that turns out 333 horsepower, while the SL 500 is powered by a V8 that creates 455 hp. Both models come with an adaptive adjustable damping system and ESP Curve Dynamic Assist, which applies brief braking on the inside wheels to improve cornering at high speeds. The magnetite black metallic paint is standard, as are leather headrests and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Place your orders April 7.

Kawasaki Ninja H2

The track-only Kawasaki Ninja H2R stepped on the scene last month with a sinister look andoutput figure that blew out pants to smithereens: 300 Freakin' Horsepower. Now we meet the H2; a friendlier road version with way less power, more weight, and an ambitious price tag. So, will the riding experience make it worth the money?

Kawasaki is pouring a lot of gas on the H2 hype-fire blazing around right now; half of which is riding the coat-tails of the H2R's on-paper awesomeness (DID WE MENTION THREE HUN-DRED HORSEPOWER?!), the other half is dazzling us with descriptions of "bespoke components" that are "meticulously hand-assembled" and of course one hell of a paint job.

As you can see, Kawasaki's own one-step-down superbeast of a bike is a lot less money... and quite a few fast-movers from other brands in the 200 horsepower-neighborhood are around $15,000 too. Not just also-rans; the blazin'-saddle BMW S1000RR starts at $14,something.

Granted the H2 is a lot lighter than the 1.4 liter ZX, and it's supposed to have god's gift to gearboxes between its supercharged engine and wheels. But I'm having a hard time imagining anyone spending 25 g's on a bike that's so heavy and complex when you could buy proven racing pedigree and/or European swagger for so much less.

Here's Jay Leno's take on the H2 and its ready-ready big brother the H2R. Check it out, then read on and we'll figure out if we can agree with his assessment.

How Does The Kawasaki H2 Seriously Cost $25,000?

As far as the spec sheet reads, the H2 is nothing short of an engineering marvel.

A fairing aerodynamically dialed-in by Kawasaki's Aerospace Company is wrapped around a steel trellis frame, making for the most stable experience Kawasaki's engineers could conceive.

That aero kit is meant to provide a "neutral stance" at high speed, while the trellis-style frame basically provides the most direct connection from one end of the bike to the other.