Stunning Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Unveiled

New 'Gullwing' Supercar Makes Debut at Frankfurt Motor Show

Oct 25, 2009

With the production of the Mercedes McLaren SLR now ceased, Mercedes-Benz have unveiled the SLS AMG, the car set to fill the gap left by their previous supercar.

The introduction of the SLS AMG was a long, drawn out and tantalising affair. It was obvious that Mercedes would have to produce something to replace the Mercedes McLaren SLR. Rumours of the car have been causing a buzz in the motoring press for some time now. Then, last month, Mercedes released images of the SLS AMG being tested on a track, albeit heavily disguised.

And now, finally, following its unveiling at the Frankfurt Motor Show (which must have been one of the biggest stories of the event), the first official pictures of the SLS have been released, and ladies and gentlemen, it truly is a thing of beauty!

A Resurrection of the Iconic 1950s 300SL ‘Gullwing’

Mercedes have based the SLS AMG on the classic 300SL Gullwing, the iconic Mercedes sports car produced between 1952 and 1963. It features the same long, sweeping bonnet (just shy of 2m) with the passenger cabin situated well to the back with a short rear end. It’s about time that Mercedes chose to resurrect this concept, which first featured the famous ‘Gullwing’ doors. The 300SL is arguably one of Mercedes’ most famous cars, and these days can fetch well upwards of half a million US dollars.

SLS Designed and Built Purely by AMG

And there are other reasons Mercedes chose to use the concept of the 300SL to style their new offering, besides it being one of the most beautiful cars they’ve ever made. The 300SL was not actually offered as a road-going passenger car until 1954, but instead started life purely as a racing machine. So, the Gullwing passenger version was actually a racing car made for the road. This is obviously the idea Mercedes have for the SLS AMG. Instead of being a standard Mercedes tuned and upgraded to an AMG version, the SLS AMG was designed and built entirely by AMG itself, thereby establishing its sports credentials.

The SLS AMG features an aluminium space-frame body, with the rest of the car built in light-weight materials like magnesium and carbon fibre to keep the weight down. It will also boast AMG’s excellent 6.3 litre V8, and power will be delivered to the wheels courtesy of a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The gearbox is mounted at the rear to allow for a 47-53% front-rear weight distribution, which will provide excellent balance and handling. Stopping power comes from ceramic composite disc brakes, and traction from light-alloy 19 inch wheels at the front, and 20 inch at the back. Some of the performance figures of the SLS AMG are as follows:

The SLS AMG is due to go on sale in mid-2010, and is set to cost around EUR177,000 (US$265,500).

The copyright of the article Stunning Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Unveiled in European Sports Cars is owned by Tony Sidgwick. Permission to republish Stunning Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Unveiled in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.