Mercedes-Benz is working hard to deliver another performance sports car in the near future: the new generation SL. The new MERCEDES-BENZ “300 SL” (super-light) sports car model will be undertaking road trials in public for the first time. 69 years later, a lot has changed, but the anticipation is the same. The current eighth generation of the SL is about to enter the home straight of its development.
While the public road trials with the Mercedes-Benz SL 300 racing sports car are still taking place on the A81 Autobahn, today’s Mercedes-AMG engineers do their test driving on a special, closed-off proving ground in snowy Sweden.
And even though a large proportion of the development work on the Roadster, configured as a 2+2-seater, took place in digital form, a certain amount of analogue development driving is still essential. The final tuning of the fully variable all-wheel drive system 4MATIC+, for instance, which is now offered for the first time in the SL as well, is thus being undertaken in wintry regions. The redesigned fabric roof, too, has to prove itself in the harsh conditions that prevail near the Arctic Circle.
The handling dynamics of this iconic Roadster, which is set to make its debut later this year, will shortly be undergoing final refinement – on the north loop of the Nürburgring, amongst other places. On the most challenging racing circuit in the world, the specialists from Mercedes-AMG will be ensuring that this latest interpretation of the SL draws even more than ever on its sporting roots.
Meanwhile, the legendary Roadster, the different variants of which will in future all be available exclusively under the Mercedes-AMG name, also remains true to virtues other than its long history: with its unique design, and its exceptional levels of quality and luxury, this new interpretation of the icon continues the success story that began in 1952 in terms of exclusiveness, too.
