2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG: Gullwing Greatness Soars Again

Oh, it is just anther rich
man's or women's car!
Yes it is! However,
there is no denying that
the 2011 Mercedes-Benz
SLS AMG is not totally
retro but it is steeped in
tradition. Thus, the new
Gullwing takes flight
and it is set to soar in
a big way!

Regarding this supercar,
Andrew Bornhop from
Road & Track says,

"If I lived in a villa on the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy and had
to cross the Alps, say, twice a month for a consulting job in Munich, I know
the car I'd most want to drive - the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Yes,
there are sportier cars (the Ferrari 458 Italia, for instance) and, yes, more
opulent ones (the Bentley Continental Supersports), but this exquisitely
built Mercedes, designed from the ground up by AMG is a superb Grand
Touring machine that wins me over with its intoxicating blend of power,
performance and style."

The SLS Gullwing has presence, especially with Iridium Silver on the
exterior combined with its red interior. And that is with the car's doors
closed. Open the Gullwing doors up and it is reported that people cannot
stay away from the car.

This new SLS is somewhat of a retro design for sure, but not to the extent
of having to be fitted with the straight-6 cylinder engine and 4-speed manual
transmission as with the original 300 SL Gullwing of 1955.

This new SLS combines the classic and the modern. It is powered by a
hand-built (remember when things were hand-built?) 6.2-liter (6208-cc)
V8 hooked up to a twin-clutch 7-speed transmission with a carbon-fiber
driveshaft. Output is 563 hp at 6800 rpm and 479 lb. ft. of torque at
4750 rpm.

The M159 engine is a 4-cam dry-sump unit mounted very low in the
car's chassis well aft of the front axle to aid the car's dynamic handling.
The engine makes a beautiful sound the moment the throttle is touched.
It revs like a race engine with a lightened flywheel. Other features of
the engine include a new intake with revised valves, camshafts and
flow-optimized exhaust headers for increased cylinder filling. Also,
a strengthen crankcase, forged pistons, reinforced crankcase bearing
caps, plus a high-performance demand-controlled oil pump that keeps
the car's aluminum V8 running in top form.

As with all vehicle manufacturers, Mercedes is concerned with operating
efficiency. Thus, the SLS has a twin-wire arc-sprayed friction-reducing
coating on the engine's cylinder walls in addition to an intelligent
alternator that charges the battery only when the car is braked. In other
words, this system does not use any energy from the engine when the car
is accelerating (providing maximum horsepower), but charges the battery
when the car is braked.

As far as the numbers, the SLS will hit 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and it will
knock off the quarter-mile in 11.6 seconds at 124.3 miles per hour. The top
speed is 197 mph. The 60-0 braking is in 112 feet. The moves through the
slalom are at 71.8 mph and the lateral acceleration is 0.96 g. Racecar
numbers all the way!

The SLS provides a comfortable drive in town and all day and then some
cruising ability. The driver selects from the Mercedes built MCT-7 transaxle
that includes Comfort, Sport, Sport-Plus, and Manual modes.

The SLS is the first Mercedes to be built from the ground up by in-house
tuner AMG. The car has a spaceage frame and the chassis is a complex
mixture of aluminum sheets and die cast pieces that are all bolted, riveted
welded and glued together. Each SLS chassis takes 30 hours of hand-built
time to complete. The result is a chassis that is among the strongest and
lightest of any supercar.

The excellent chassis provides the foundation for the SLS's suspension,
that features aluminum double A-arms and coil springs over shocks at all
four corners. The ride is on the taunt side of acceptable and it is beautify
dampened and exhibits no dive under braking and no squat under acceleration.

Regarding the other end of the spectrum, the front brakes are 15.4
inch cross-drilled discs with 6-piston calipers. At the rear are 14.2
inch cross-drilled discs with 4-piston calipers. The tires are Continental
ContiSport-Contact tires of 265/35ZR-19 front and 295/40ZR-20 at
the back.

So what is the Mercedes-Benz SLS Gullwing like in the real word?
Getting in and out of the car is remarkably easy. The Gullwing
doors take up less space than conventional swing-out doors. The
doors complete their close with a customary Mercedes solid thud.
Furthermore, a pair of gas-filled struts make the doors seem weightless
when opening from the outside or inside.

On the road, the SLS's steering has an accurate well-weighted feel. The
brakes are firm, well modulated, but not grabby. The SLS really shines on
the open road or at the track where the driver can let the forceful 6.2-liter V8
stretch its long legs and the chassis can blend all that the car offers. The
move from 60 mph to triple digits is simply pleasure with no drama.

The SLS's windshield is rather upright and rounded by today's standards,
however, such is part of the car's appealingly retro look. The car brings
back many of the original Gullwing's design cues but in a modern format.

The interior of the SLS is in beautiful red stitched leather, which sets off
the silver outer bodywork. And in a nod to the past, the interior is surprisingly
free of cluttering controls. All is provided as necessary for a modern car but
the emphasis is on it being a driver's car.

It is expected that Mercedes will allow about 300 SLS Gullwings to come
to the United States. A beautiful design, reference to the past, stellar perfor-
mance and limited exclusivity all combine to suggest that the 2011 Mercedes-
Benz Gullwing is already slated to be highly prized 50 years from now.

The price of the SLS will be about $200,000. And in 50 years from
now, people will likely say what a low price for such an exquisite
automobile.

Have an auto question or comment? You can email it to me at
Kbusch3@verizon.net. Kyle Busch is the author of "Drive the Best
for the Price..." www.DriveTheBestBook.com.