That’s the rumour going around…. we’ll have to wait and see..

for now though, can we just chat about this car quickly?

But let me first take you back to the mid-1950’s, when the following icon was born:

The 1955 Mercedes Benz 300SL “Gull Wing”

The Mercedes-Benz 300SL was introduced in 1954 as a two-seat, closed sports car with distinctive gull-wing doors. Later it was offered as an open roadster. It was the fastest production car of its day.

The 300SL was best known for both its distinctive gull wing doors and being the first-ever gasoline-powered car equipped with fuel injection directly into the combustion chamber. The gull wing version was available from March 1955 to 1957. Production of the roadster ended in 1963 with the introduction of the 230SL.

[more]

Pretty serious, right? That is easily and always has been one of my favourite cars of all time

Well that was only a prelude of things to come..

Because now we have to deal with this beast of a car – the 2010 Mercedes Benz SLS AMG “Gull Wing” :

The 2010 Mercedes Benz SLS AMG “Gull Wing”
Check it out in red here

Check it out:

The SLS AMG is designed to be a modern 300SL Gullwing revival. The car has a long bonnet, the passenger compartment is close to the rear axle and the rear of the car is short. The SLS AMG will also adapt the feature of wing doors that will swing open upwards on gas struts, not in a mix of upwards and forward like the SLR. The doors must be closed manually as AMG engineers decided against auto-closing systems because the systems would have added 90 pounds (41 kg) to the car.[4] In case of a roll-over, the doors can be fully detached to allow the occupants to leave the vehicle. The designer is Gordon Wagener whose family once had a 300SL. [more here]

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.

[more here]

And what’s more, Robb Report’s panel of 50 VIP judges have selected the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG as “2010 Car of the Year.” In taking the award, the SLS AMG beat out 11 other worthy contenders to the throne. More on that here.

I think that should seal the deal for you? It certainly has for me!

You’ve probably seen enough, although there is a good chance you’ll like this extra little bonus I found for you. It’s a video of Michael Schumacher driving the NEW 2010 Mercedes Benz SLS AMG “Gull Wing” like you never thought possible.

Did you ever have those toy cars as a kid – the ones that could drive through a loop – like a rollercoaster?

Watch this:

Now THAT’S what I’m talking about..

Standing by, Mercedes Benz South Africa..

[thanks ryan]