I have a weird thing going on with an SL600 (my father's). It acts and drives normally, but when the brake is applied the engine starts revving out of control. So much so that it seriously fights the brakes.

When it is shifted into Neutral, it settles back down and acts normally afterwards when put back into Drive. It has only happened a few times (not in succession), but since it only happens once the brake is applied it poses a significant safety hazard.
Any ideas? I was thinking it would be sensor related, but I don't know too much about the SLs and I might be overlooking something obvious.