New Mercedes SLS AMG (a.k.a. Gullwing): Now With Added Lightness
Mercedes has revealed their one-letter-more-advanced-than-the-SLR McLaren at the Geneva Auto Show. Well, not AT the auto show. At the same TIME as the Geneva Auto Show. Which is a smart move, really. Why bother spending a million bucks or so bring the SLS to Switzerland when you can get almost as much publicity by attaching a file and pressing “send”? Pistonheads re-writes the press release, so we don’t have to. Oh, and here’s hoping the SLS’ brakes are a touch more feelsome than Paris Hilton’s bitch—I mean, previous whip.
Roughly the same size as the SLR McLaren at 4640mm × 1939mm × 1255mm, the new SLS will also be 130 kg lighter at 1620 kg.
Power from a significantly updated version of AMG’s 6.2-V8 will be fed through a seven-speed double-clutch transaxle, positioned to help optimise weight distribution.
Revving to 6,800 rpm and making 479 lb·ft of torque, performance will be suitably staggering. Mercedes claims 0-62 mph in 3.8 s and a top-speed of 196 mph, while acceleration off the line will be aided by a race-style launch control system. Stopping power will be courtesy of 15.4 in front and 14.2 in rear discs, with optional carbon ceramic upgrades.
More by Robert Farago
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535 hp according to the link. 1620 kg is 3571 lbs. Quite a porker. That is 6.7 lbs/hp. The original SLR was 880 kg (1940 lbs) and had 310 hp for a 6.3 lbs/hp. Of course, it was an F-1 racer with fenders. The Corvette ZR-1 is 5.2, and a lot cheaper.
Mercedes should leave this legacy undisturbed. The original 300sl was an icon. Stuttgart's moon-shot. It brought them out of post-war ruin and into the limelight as the finest car maker on the planet. This thing? Just a bunch of engineers masturbating all over the buyer. --chuck
Looks like a Viper from hell.