Mercedes, 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster
Here’s a first: Mercedes-Benz’s release detailing the 2012 SLS AMG roadster begins by mentioning the development mules that are currently running around Stuttgart, the most recent spy shots of which we brought you a month ago. The press download doesn’t just acknowledge their existence, but explains precisely through which paces they’ve been put. And it’s accompanied by Benz “spy” photography. Forgive us if we feel as though we’ve been played.
Mercedes points out, and rightly so, that any enthusiast (hello!) will still recognize the shape of the AMG roadster, even with the three-pointed star and other badging under wraps. Anyone with some accounting acumen and a knowledge of recent—as well as not-so-recent—Benz history knew the addition of a (more expensive) droptop version of the SLS was only a matter of time. It’s no surprise, then, that the roadster was planned all along and developed alongside the SLS AMG coupe. Because of that, it will use the same 563-hp 6.2-liter V-8 and seven-speed transaxle. It won’t, for obvious reasons, get the funny doors.
A Gullwing-less Bird That’s Better for Bird-Watching
The info doesn’t provide much else beyond the test boasting, but solving this car’s equation involves few unknowns. AMG went for a cloth top to save weight, and added reinforcements front and rear—one spanning the width below the dashboard, and another between the top and the gas tank—to compensate for the lack of a fixed roof. There’s also a crossbar behind the seats that provides reinforcement, an attachment point for the roll hoops, and an enclosure for the Bang & Olufsen sound system’s subwoofer.
Weight gain for the body-in-white is minimal—536 pounds versus 531 for the Gullwing—but that doesn’t account for the convertible top and its mechanism. So plan on the droptop being heavier (than 3792 pounds) and therefore a bit slower (than 60 in 3.5 seconds) compared to the coupe, as is the convertible-conversion norm. The top can be displaced and replaced at speeds up to 31 mph.
Interesting side note: Mercedes’ two other (cheaper) roadsters use folding hardtops, while the SLS AMG gets a fabric roof. So don’t try to apply logic to German cars. As far as price, we expect a noticeable bump above the coupe’s base of $187,450.
Don’t Worry, It Won’t Take Flight
Mercedes and AMG were happy to regale us with what would normally be a boring story of testing and validation. We’re making sure it’s waterproof! You can drive it in all kinds of weather for a long time! The stereo will sound good, promise! Things won’t fly off when you put the top down and drive 197 mph! For this kind of money, and with that badge on the front (assumed, anyway), we’d expect nothing less.
But what are they doing still driving around in test cars? We assume it’s a decent perk of the job for an AMG engineer—check out the photos of one lucky fellow driving a car around the Official Mercedes-AMG Wall of Testing. Also, it’s near-free advertising. And AMG claims the cars are still in the final stages of validation. They’d better make sure the car is ready soon, as it will make its debut at the Frankfurt auto show in September and go on sale in the U.S. toward the end of the year—just in time for all of those climate tests to come in handy.
Here’s a first: Mercedes-Benz’s release detailing the 2012 SLS AMG roadster begins by mentioning the development mules that are currently running around Stuttgart, the most recent spy shots of which we brought you a month ago. The press download doesn’t just acknowledge their existence, but explains precisely through which paces they’ve been put. And it’s accompanied by Benz “spy” photography. Forgive us if we feel as though we’ve been played.
Mercedes points out, and rightly so, that any enthusiast (hello!) will still recognize the shape of the AMG roadster, even with the three-pointed star and other badging under wraps. Anyone with some accounting acumen and a knowledge of recent—as well as not-so-recent—Benz history knew the addition of a (more expensive) droptop version of the SLS was only a matter of time. It’s no surprise, then, that the roadster was planned all along and developed alongside the SLS AMG coupe. Because of that, it will use the same 563-hp 6.2-liter V-8 and seven-speed transaxle. It won’t, for obvious reasons, get the funny doors.
A Gullwing-less Bird That’s Better for Bird-Watching
The info doesn’t provide much else beyond the test boasting, but solving this car’s equation involves few unknowns. AMG went for a cloth top to save weight, and added reinforcements front and rear—one spanning the width below the dashboard, and another between the top and the gas tank—to compensate for the lack of a fixed roof. There’s also a crossbar behind the seats that provides reinforcement, an attachment point for the roll hoops, and an enclosure for the Bang & Olufsen sound system’s subwoofer.
Weight gain for the body-in-white is minimal—536 pounds versus 531 for the Gullwing—but that doesn’t account for the convertible top and its mechanism. So plan on the droptop being heavier (than 3792 pounds) and therefore a bit slower (than 60 in 3.5 seconds) compared to the coupe, as is the convertible-conversion norm. The top can be displaced and replaced at speeds up to 31 mph.
Interesting side note: Mercedes’ two other (cheaper) roadsters use folding hardtops, while the SLS AMG gets a fabric roof. So don’t try to apply logic to German cars. As far as price, we expect a noticeable bump above the coupe’s base of $187,450.
Don’t Worry, It Won’t Take Flight
Mercedes and AMG were happy to regale us with what would normally be a boring story of testing and validation. We’re making sure it’s waterproof! You can drive it in all kinds of weather for a long time! The stereo will sound good, promise! Things won’t fly off when you put the top down and drive 197 mph! For this kind of money, and with that badge on the front (assumed, anyway), we’d expect nothing less.
But what are they doing still driving around in test cars? We assume it’s a decent perk of the job for an AMG engineer—check out the photos of one lucky fellow driving a car around the Official Mercedes-AMG Wall of Testing. Also, it’s near-free advertising. And AMG claims the cars are still in the final stages of validation. They’d better make sure the car is ready soon, as it will make its debut at the Frankfurt auto show in September and go on sale in the U.S. toward the end of the year—just in time for all of those climate tests to come in handy.
No comments:
Post a Comment