2000 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG Mercedes elegance, Porsche performance in a four-door sedan. By Sam Moses, New Car Test Drive .com

Buyers were standing in line for the C43 AMG when it was introduced two years ago. Based on the Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan, the the C43 AMG was a 4.3-liter V8 supersedan. AMG, the performance house that builds Mercedes' championship-winning sports racing cars, converts only 500 production cars per year, so they don't tend to languish in the showrooms. In fact, they have to order the cars well in advance, then hope they can get one. Last year, super sedan enthusiasts were offered a more exclusive waiting line based on the E-Class sedan.

Meet the AMG-built E55: bigger, more powerful, more expensive, every bit as refined.

The E55 may be part of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedans, but its performance clearly separates it from the 221-horsepower V6-powered E320 ($47,100) and 275-horsepower V8-powered E430 ($52,450). (There's also a $47,950 E320 wagon.)

Mercedes sets the E55 AMG price at $69,800, but a gas guzzler tax adds to the bottom line.