From the smoke of history, the legendary Mercedes-Benz gullwing sports car returns in the form of the 2010 SLS supercar.
Walk around the vast Frankfurt Motor Show, and one could easily be convinced that the auto industry is about to roll out battery cars with limited range and wimpy diesels. But while it had a few environmentally-friendly offerings of its own, Mercedes-Benz made it clear its not about to walk away from its performance heritage.
The automaker finally pulled the wraps off its long-awaited SLS 2-seat supercar, which arrives 55 years after the original gullwing Mercedes 300SL took the global auto world by storm but limited sales.
While the 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS clearly harkens back to that classic, “It is not a stroll down memory lane but a look into the future,” proclaimed Dieter Zetsche, who serves as both the Mercedes brand boss and CEO of its parent, Daimler AG.
Though it shares the gull wing concept with the original 300SL, the new Mercedes-Benz is "a look into the future," declared Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, rather than "a stroll down memory lane."
Based around an aluminum spaceframe, there are a variety of decidedly modern touches, starting with the rectangular, rather than round, headlights, which flow up into the front fenders; a more steeply-raked windshield; a decidedly taut and aerodynamic body; larger, wider tires; and a Formula One-style wing that cuts across the cross-hatched, blackout grille.
The SLS will also deliver a much more refined interior package — with carbon fiber trim and plenty of leather — than the surprisingly spartan SLR it replaces. There’ll even be adjustable seats, rather than the fixed, racing style buckets Mercedes originally introduced on the old supercar.
What the 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS does have in common with the 300 SL is its gullwing doors, though even here, the new model doesn’t require driver or passenger to crawl across the massive door sills of the original 2-seater.
The 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS will hit 60 in just 3.7 seconds, and top out at 197 mph.
There’s a lot more under the hood of the new car, as well, a heavily modified version of the 6.3-liter V8 developed exclusively by Mercedes’ performance division, AMG. In the SLS, it will make a whopping 571 horsepower, and is promised to launch from 0 to 60 in just 3.7 seconds. Top speed is 197 mph.
To get that power, the AMG engine has been given an all-new intake and exhaust system, as well as an updated valve train. Those ponies, which peak at 6,800 RPMs, will be channeled through a 7-speed double-clutch transmission.
Though about $100,000 less expensive than the old SLR, the 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS will offer a decidedly more refined interior.
The 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS, which will reach showrooms by mid-year, replaces the automaker’s previous supercar, the controversial SLR. And it will be a relative bargain, by comparison, with a price tag estimated at around $300,000, roughly $100,000 less than the outgoing supercar.