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The car didn't appear at the Geneva auto show it will instead debut at this September's Frankfurt show—but Mercedes-Benz nevertheless used the Swiss event as an excuse to release some tantalizing details regarding its long-rumored, new-generation Gullwing supercar. At the 2009 New York auto show, the automaker went one further and unveiled how the two-seat, carbon-fiber-laced interior will be configured
The Cadillac of Names
First of all, the remixed icon won’t be called the Gullwing or even the SLC as we had believed; its official name is Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. (That said, Mercedes does refer to the car as the “new Gullwing” in its press materials and also confirms the car will utilize the unique door configuration.) We’re wondering if Cadillac will object to the SLS moniker, but we doubt anyone will confuse this super-Benz with a full-size, four-door Caddy. This might be a good time to mention that we don’t yet know what the SLS will look like. Mercedes is holding back on releasing official exterior pictures of the car, but expect to see images surface early this summer. For now, information from Mercedes-Benz is limited to what’s under the SLS’s skin. Judging by the underlying structure, the car appears as if it will have proportions drawn directly from its 1950s forebear. Even the angles of the front and rear window openings look similar. The gullwing doors will pop off in the event of a rollover to allow occupants to escape.
More Power from AMG’s Stonking V-8
Powering the SLS is a revised version of AMG’s now-familiar 6.2-liter 32-valve V-8. In the SLS, the engine makes 563 hp at 6800 rpm and 479 lb-ft of torque at 4750 rpm. Revisions to the engine for use in the SLS include a new magnesium intake with eight separate velocity stacks; two electronically controlled throttle plates feed the new intake. On the exhaust side, a new equal-length exhaust manifold reduces backpressure. Lubricating the engine is a new dry-sump system that allows the engine to sit low, thus reducing the center of gravity. But the engine doesn’t just sit low; it also sits behind the front axle line, an arrangement that is partially responsible for the SLS’s claimed 48 percent/52 percent front/rear weight distribution.
AMG Shifts Its Thinking
AMG has seen fit to design a new seven-speed transaxle gearbox for the SLS. Mounted at the rear axle and encompassing the differential, the new gearbox is a dual-clutch automated manual transmission that will shift gears by itself or at the driver’s command. This is unlike the MCT unit in the SL63 AMG, which is a variation of Merc’s seven-speed automatic that uses a planetary gearset and a clutch pack instead of a fluid torque converter. Connecting the engine to the rear-mounted transaxle is a torque tube housing a lightweight carbon-fiber composite driveshaft. One commonality with the SL63’s transmission is the SLS’s Race Start launch-control setting; it revs the engine and dumps the clutch for foolproof and optimal acceleration. How quick will the SLS be? Mercedes is projecting a 0-to-62-mph time of 3.8 seconds and says the top speed is governed at 196 mph.
When the time comes to stop, the SLS will be hauled down by standard cast-iron and aluminum compound disc brakes measuring 15.4 inches in the front and 14.2 inches in back. For those who need more fade resistance and crave reduced unsprung weight, carbon-ceramic rotors will be optional. The carbon-ceramic rotors are larger in front and measure 15.8 inches. The rear carbon-ceramic rotors have the same diameter as the cast-iron units but are thicker. Both brake systems will squeeze six-piston calipers in front and four-piston calipers at the rear. New Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires were developed specifically for the car, and are sized 265/35-19 up front and 295/30-20 in the rear.
Lighter Than an SLR McLaren
Underpinning the SLS is an all-new, 531-lb aluminum space frame designed specifically for this model. Mercedes is claiming a preliminary curb weight of 3571 pounds, which would make the SLS nearly 300 pounds lighter than the $455,000 carbon-fiber Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren’s 3858-lb weight, and far lighter than the 4220-lb Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series. The wheelbase measures a longish 105.5 inches, which is largely due to the car’s front/mid-engine layout. The SLS also has a front track that is about 1.2 inches wider than the rear and is 76.4 inches wide. At 182.7 inches long, it is nearly as long as the SLR and about a half a foot longer than the Ferrari F430. Height was not revealed.
What will the SLS cost? We're estimating that the car will cost between $200,000 and $250,000 when it goes on sale in the spring of next year, or quite a bit less than the $300,000 SL65 AMG Black Series. Thus priced, the SLS would be competitively priced against the Ferrari 430 Scuderia and the upcoming Superleggera version of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4. And it can be considered a hefty bargain against the roughly $500,000 it takes to buy a vintage 300SL Gullwing.
