Mercedes-Benz SL-Class 2009 News

...which means AMG will have its go-faster car ready for the road in 2013. Everything points to a subtle body but a muscular engine package sharing the 5.5-litre V8 turbo already installed in the SL63 AMG.

And the images show that the world's oldest car has been back to the beauty parlour for a major makeover to continue its run deep into the 21st century. Mercedes-Benz claims the ancient crown for its SL roadster, which hit the road in the 1950s and has continued along the same path for near-enough to 60 years. But the latest makeover, which will be previewed at Detroit motor show in January and available in Australian showrooms by June, is more than just skin deep. The sixth-generation is the first Mercedes-Benz to be constructed almost entirely from aluminium - there is steel strengthening and magnesium in some places - and it also comes with two developments which are claimed as world firsts. The car has a FrontBass system that Benz claims will turn it into a concert hall with the top up or down, as well as an adaptive windscreen cleaning system called Magic Vision Control. But the SL is really about luxury and style, despite a $242,780 starting price that means only 23 have been sold through the first 11 months of 2011, down from 48 at the same time last year. Despite the small numbers, Benz says the SL is a landmark car for the brand. "It is a flag bearer for us," says David McCarthy, spokesman for Mercedes-Benz Australia. "It's a pretty good indicator of where we're going. It continues the design theme of the SLS and SLK." He is also keen to highlight the longevity of the SL badge, which was first applied to a Benz in 1952 and reached Australia a year later.  "In passenger cars, it is the longest-running nameplate in the world. The only one that comes close is the Chevrolet Suburban, which has a longer history but is an SUV," McCarthy says. "The only other one that came close was the Ford Fairlane, which only lived on in Australia until the 21st century until they chopped it." McCarthy confirms the usual model spread for the upcoming SL, which currently runs from the SL350 to the SL 65 AMG at $519,250, and a sharp bottom line. "We don't expect a big change, price-wise. It will be on sale in the second quarter in 2012 at the earliest for us," he says. On the specification front, apart from the latest technology and a body that is both lighter are larger in most directions, the SL comes with engines that have more power but economy improved by as much as 29 per cent. "There is the new V6, then the V8s and the AMG models. The 350 is currently the biggest seller and we expect that to continue." The car's folding hardtop vario-roof operates in either direction in less than 20 seconds using an electrohydraulic mechanism, and will be available with a painted finish, a glass roof or the Magic Sky system - first fitted on the SLK - which switches from light to dark inside at the touch of a button.

As Porsche prepares its luxury Panamera, and Aston Martin worries over its four-door Rapide, Mercedes-Benz is certain of success with its upcoming Gullwing.It knows the combination of the retro-futuristic Gullwing name and body, and a 320km/h mechanical package from its go-faster AMG division, will mean certain success for the fastest car to carry its badge.The Gullwing has been an open secret for more than a year, with camouflaged test cars running around Europe and logging laps at the Nurburgring, but now company executives are talking openly about the car.Benz's safety chief, Ulrich Mellinghoff, talks now about crashing testing carbon fibre body parts for the Gullwing and the head of AMG, Volker Mornhinweg, is dropping hints about the engine for the car."The crashing testing is more like a convertible. There is no energy path through the roof," says Mellinghoff.He also admits the nature of carbon fibre, expected to used for the majority of the car, means there will be aluminium crash panels at each end to absorb impact forces."With carbon fibre you cannot see if there is any internal damage. It can look perfect, but crumbles if you bump it."The biggest question of all for the Gullwing is the engine, with Mornhinweg talking enthusiastically about everything from a new V6 - which is being developed for the baby A and B-Class cars - to the existing 6.2-litre V8 and the V12 used in the SL 'Black Series' with twin turbochargers.But his biggest hint is that something new - perhaps a new-age 5.5- litre V8 - could do the job."We are working hard on something we launch in 2010. It will be a new engine," he says."I think later this year we will have more to say."But he lays false trails everywhere, talking about a range of powerplants."We work very hard on our current 6.2-litre engine. There are a lot of new technologies," he says."Direct injection with piezo control . . . to make combustion in a perfect way. We also have some opportunity to put the turbocharger on some engines."For the smaller cars we have decided on an engine, but I don't want to talk. It's a very interesting thing, we have outstanding performance but we can reduce the fuel consumption."Getting away from the mechanics and safety, the Gullwing is expected to have a paddle-shift gear system, LED running lights in the top of the headlamp cluster and giant metallic disc brakes.It is intended to completely out-strip the McLaren-Mercedes SLR, a joint venture between Benz and its Formula One partner which has never hit its original sales targets, including production of as many as 6000 cars a year with a price-tag in the $500,000 range.The Gullwing is widely predicted to star for Mercedes at the Frankfurt Motor Show later this year, although its debut could be pushed back to Geneva in 2011 if the company decides its is inappropriate to make a huge splash during the worldwide economic downturn. 

The new-age Mercedes Gullwing will be the fastest car in the history of the three-pointed star and should be previewed early in 2009, perhaps even at the Geneva Motor Show in March, for sales from 2010.It gets its name from the scissor-style lift-up doors used on a similar road rocket, the Mercedes SL which hit the road in 1954, and is expected to have the same styling and performance impact as the original.Mercedes has decided to build the born-again Gullwing as it splits its road-car future from its Formula One partner, McLaren, despite the British team's reputation for creating high-performance halo cars.It will be pushing much harder with the AMG sub-brand which has been a global hit, including Australia where sales set a per-capita world record, and will become the new flagship for both Benz and AMG.McLaren has its own supercar in final development for a preview in 2009 but it is the Gullwing which is creating the most interest in Mercedes' future-car programs.The car has been testing for more than a year and looks to be a long-nose two-door coupe which is likely to have the first in a new generation of AMG turbocharged V8 engines. It should easily crack 300km/h and have a Ferrari-style 0-100km/h sprint time.The Gullwing is an open secret in the Mercedes-Benz world, where plans call for a production run of up to 5000 cars during a 5-10 year model life.This is a massive contrast to the SLR, which has never sold to the expectations of either Mercedes or McLaren and came with a $1 million-plus pricetag.The final SLR model was unveiled at the Paris show a fortnight ago with a roadster open-topped body and the 722 performance package created to pay hommage to the SLR which won the Mille Miglia road race in Italy in 1955 wearing the 722 number to reflect its 7.22am start time.Details of the new Gullwing are still being protected by Mercedes, but it is expected to have a race-style monocoque body built from a combination of aluminium and carbon fibre.The engine choice is not confirmed, as AMG is moving to turbos but the Gullwing could stay with an updated version of the current 6.2-litre V8 - called the 6.3 by Benz - but the company's powerplant chief Dr Leopold Mikulic says it will have more than 400 kiloWatts of power. 

Black editions are what Mercedes tuning house AMG produces when it throws subtlety to the wind.