First Official Photos: 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

The disguise has finally been pulled off of Mercedes' all-new supercar. By Mike Monticello September 2009

Finally, the disguise has been peeled off of Mercedes' all-new supercar, the SLS AMG. And what can we see? Exactly what we expected: a modern successor to the legendary 300SL Gullwing, with a remarkably upright windshield. The front is pure modern Mercedes, a bit on the blocky side with large headlamp clusters, a long hood and a giant 3-pointed star. Of course there are the gullwing doors along with retro strakes on the front fenders. The short rear deck, though, is a bit more squared-off than we expected, reminding a bit (dare we say) of the old Acura CL coupe. A flush-mounted rear wing rises at speed. The driver-focused interior appears nicely done, if slightly understyled, in typical German fashion.

But as AMG's first-ever clean-sheet design, the SLS is all about the driving experience. And as R&T Senior Feature Editor Douglas Kott found out in our October 2009 issue, an awesome experience it is. The heart of the SLS is the front-mid-mounted normally aspirated 6.2-liter dry-sump V-8, which cranks out 563 bhp at 6800 rpm and 480 lb.-ft. of torque at 4750. Power is delivered to the rear wheels via a 7-speed twin-clutch transaxle (called AMG Speedshift DCT). The SLS's lightweight aluminum space-frame construction translates to a curb weight of about 3600 lb.

The SLS will hit the market in the spring of 2010. Pricing hasn't yet been announced, but figure somewhere between $150,000−$225,000.

Source & Credits: roadandtrack.com

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