8th Gen Mercedes-AMG SL Unveiled

Jason R. Sakurai
by Jason R. Sakurai

Mercedes-AMG wanted to show you its new SL Roadster, a 2+2 seater, testing its 4Matic+ all-wheel-drive system at a private proving ground in Sweden near the Arctic Circle. In typical Mercedes fashion, they said it was as much a test of the Roadster’s convertible top as it was the all-wheel-drive system under these harsh conditions.

The eighth generation of the SL line is near the end of its evolution. While much of the work on the Roadster was said to have been done digitally, development driving remained crucial to getting it to its final form.

Since this is the first time 4Matic+ all-wheel drive is being offered on the SL, it was necessary to test it in the winter on snow. It will also be to put it through it paces at the world-renown Nürburgring racing circuit prior to its debut sometime later this year.

Mercedes-AMG was adamant about the new SL remaining true to its sports car heritage, and from the looks of it, I’d venture to say it would be a blast to road test down Mulholland Drive, on a long stretch of road in the Arizona desert, or along the Coast Highway in Monterey. However, if road tests remain in a somewhat limited format and I’m only given a few hours behind the wheel, I’ll no doubt make the most of that time and still come back with a thorough driving impression.

On March 12, 1952, this press release announced the first public appearance of the original Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, the SL being an abbreviation for super light, a car that went on to win races and the admiration of enthusiasts around the world.

[Images: Mercedes-Benz]

Jason R. Sakurai
Jason R. Sakurai

With a father who owned a dealership, I literally grew up in the business. After college, I worked for GM, Nissan and Mazda, writing articles for automotive enthusiast magazines as a side gig. I discovered you could make a living selling ad space at Four Wheeler magazine, before I moved on to selling TV for the National Hot Rod Association. After that, I started Roadhouse, a marketing, advertising and PR firm dedicated to the automotive, outdoor/apparel, and entertainment industries. Through the years, I continued writing, shooting, and editing. It keep things interesting.

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  • ToolGuy ToolGuy on Mar 13, 2021

    Ah, the Mercedes SL: - Super Light weight makes it incredibly fuel efficient. - Super Light weight makes it quicker (better power-to-weight ratio). - Super Light weight would make it an ideal candidate for conversion to a flying car. Automotive engineers are the best engineers - just ask Walt Whitman. "SINGING my days, Singing the great achievements of the present, Singing the strong light works of engineers" https://whitmanarchive.org/archive2/published/LG/1891/poems/239 This vehicle is light indeed - completely weight-optimized. Peak engineering. No improvements to be made anywhere. (Well, ok the starter battery seems a little heavy, but don't focus on that.)

  • RHD RHD on Mar 13, 2021

    Mitsubishi Eclipse. Copy. Paste. Change grille and emblems. Done.

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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