Those roof-hinged gullwing doors look spectacular and they are the most distinctive aspect of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG's appearance. But don't be fooled, say the ultra-sensitive types who work at Mercedes' in-house tuner division.
“We do not build a retro car, at all! In fact, we think it is the most advanced super sports car you can buy today,” says Kai Marten, director of AMG operations.
The SLS may not be a retro car, but it certainly represents a bit of delicious homage to the iconic 300SL Gullwing. Just 3,258 of them – coupes and roadsters – were built from 1955 and 1963. We are talking production cars, of course, not the race cars of 1952-53.
Mercedes won't put a Canadian price tag on the car until the SLS hits North American showrooms some time near the middle of the year, as a 2011 model. In Europe the car lists for €149,000 (about $230,000). At that price, Mercedes will have no trouble selling 5,000 or 10,000, or even more, SLS cars.
Given what it can do, how it looks, the technology on board and the commitment to lightweight and efficient design, Mercedes should have no trouble finding a large and happy audience for the SLS. I know this because on the hilly and twisty race course of Laguna Seca near Monterey, Calif., I've just had a very personal and thorough taste of the car's limits. I was left tingling.
Of course, it all starts with something very simple: getting into the car. Unlike the original SL, which required you to slide over a wide sill made necessary by the space-frame underneath, almost anyone can slip into the SLS's cabin. Sure, it's a reach for some to grab the distant handles at the bottom of each door, but it takes no real effort to pull them closed.
Once settled in the cockpit, it is a relief to find a simple, clean and uncluttered interior. This is by design and not simply to please drivers, though the package is utterly satisfying.
Mercedes also has a new-found appreciation for managing costs and finding efficiencies, which is at work here. The car's structure is certainly a pure AMG design, but many of the parts, both visible and hidden, are from the Mercedes-Benz bin.
Hans-Dieter Futschik, the exterior design chief, says everything about the car is planned for authenticity and functionality, though it's obvious that beauty also matters. In any case, the instrument cluster is clear and easy to read, and the round HVAC vents (for heating, ventilation and air conditioning) work beautifully.
The centre console has an aluminum finish, with carbon fibre an option. What's missing in the cabin is any real place to store odds and sods. Leave your Blackberry at home or stuff it in your briefcase in the trunk.
The seats fit like catcher's mitts; they are comfortable but designed to hold you in place when you're whipping left and right down the famous Laguna Seca corkscrew, out there at the farthest edge of the course from the pits. They work.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. To bring the SLS alive, the driver presses a starter button on the centre console. The AMG-designed 6.2-litre V-8 comes alive with a growl, then idles deeply.
If you know Mercedes, you are at least a little bit familiar with the engine. It's code-named M159, but is essentially a re-engineered version of the M156 unit in AMG's “63” models.
The differences? An all-new magnesium intake, forged pistons in place of cast ones and optimized tubular exhaust headers.
And for the record, the powertrain is assembled by AMG in Affalterbach, Germany, each one done by a single assembler from start to finish.
