Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG at a glance

History: AMG's own sports car

AMG revealed the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in Frankfurt in September 2009. Mark Fetherston drew it between October 2006 and April 2007. Production began in January 2010, and the build process was split between three sites. Magna Steyr in Graz supplied the bodies, AMG assembled each engine by hand in Affalterbach, and final assembly took place at the Mercedes plant in Sindelfingen.

The coupé was built from March 2010 to December 2013 and the roadster from October 2011. The last cars were the SLS AMG GT Final Edition, limited to 350 units and offered from March 2014. Production ended in June 2014, when the cheaper, turbocharged Mercedes-AMG GT took over.

By the end of 2011 more than 5,000 SLS AMGs had been sold worldwide. Germany registered 2,993 new SLS AMGs between 2009 and 2018, and US buyers took 2,734.

Design: gullwing doors and an aluminium frame

The long bonnet, the set-back cabin and above all the doors linked the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG to the 300 SL "Gullwing" of 1954. The doors swing upward on gas struts and must be pulled down by hand. Underneath sat an aluminium spaceframe weighing 241 kg. The coupé measured 4,638 mm in length, 1,939 mm in width and only 1,262 mm in height, on a 2,680 mm wheelbase.

The engine sat behind the front axle, and the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox was placed at the rear as a transaxle. The coupé weighed 1,620 kg and the roadster 1,660 kg.

Engine and performance

The M159 was a naturally aspirated 6.2-litre V8 with dry-sump lubrication. It produced 420 kW (571 PS) at 6,800 rpm and 650 Nm at 4,750 rpm, and the engine alone weighed 206 kg. Power went to the rear wheels through the Getrag 7DCL750 dual-clutch gearbox.

Mercedes claimed 3.8 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h, 12.0 seconds to 200 km/h and a top speed of 315 km/h. That gives 2.84 kg per PS, or about 3.9 kg per kW. Combined consumption was rated at 13.2 l/100 km and 308 g/km of CO2.

Across the range, output rose by 44 kW, or about 10 percent, from the first coupé to the Black Series, while peak torque fell slightly from 650 to 635 Nm and peak power moved up to 7,400 rpm. The Electric Drive had 132 kW more than the petrol coupé and about 54 percent more torque. Every petrol version used the same 6,208 cc engine and the same seven-speed transaxle. Our power converter gives these outputs in PS or hp.

Roadster, GT, Black Series and Electric Drive

The SLS AMG Roadster was shown at Frankfurt in 2011 with a fabric roof and conventional doors; orders opened on 1 June 2011. In 2012 the SLS AMG GT raised output to 435 kW and lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife in under 7 minutes 30 seconds. The GT Final Edition cost €225,505 as a coupé and €233,835 as a roadster in Germany in 2014.

The Black Series of 2013 was the track version. Its V8 revved to 7,400 rpm for 464 kW, and the car was 70 kg lighter than the standard coupé. Car and Driver timed it at 3.2 seconds from 0 to 97 km/h.

The SLS AMG Electric Drive used four electric motors, one per wheel, with 552 kW and 1,000 Nm. Its 400-volt lithium-ion battery held 60 kWh and gave about 250 km of NEDC range. Its 0–100 km/h time was 3.9 seconds, and it cost €416,500 in Germany in 2013. Only nine were delivered to customers, which makes it the rarest SLS. Of the 2,993 SLS AMGs registered in Germany, four were electric. The price was almost twice that of the petrol GT Final Edition a year later.

Racing and the safety car

The SLS AMG GT3 customer race car went to 86 buyers from February 2011. It won its first VLN race at the Nürburgring in October 2010. Wins followed at the Dubai 24 Hour in 2012 and 2013 and at the Bathurst 12 Hour in 2013. Its victory at the 2013 24 Hours of Spa was the first for Mercedes in that race since 1964. The SLS also served as the Formula One safety car in 2010 and 2011, and the SLS AMG GT kept the role until the end of 2014.

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