The SLS AMG’s compact cloth fabric top was chosen for three reasons: Its light weight compared to a folding metal roof, its trim folded dimensions and its unique style. Capable of stowing away in just 11 seconds, it can be operated at speeds up to 31 mph.
Under the roof, things are mostly standard SLS AMG. That’s to say that the car draws inspiration from the original 300SL Gullwing of the 1950s, a legendary racing and road car that is highly valued by collectors today. The dashboard is retro-modern, with all the latest Mercedes-Benz luxuries and high-grade materials and trim that can be tailored to an individual buyer’s tastes.
Its dashboard is aircraft-inspired, as well, thanks to the jet engine-resemblilng vent nozzles and the aircraft thrust control-shaped E-Select gear lever.
That lever helps fire up the AMG Speedshift DCT 7-speed automatic. With four modes – comfort, sport, sport+ and manual – the automatic can fire off shifts faster than any driver could. A Race Start function optimizes the car’s sophisticated traction control system and mechanical differential lock for optimal launches.
Motivating the SLS AMG is the division’s 6.3-liter V8, which puts out 563 horsepower at 6,800 rpm and 479 lb-ft. of torque at 4,750 rpm. This thrust propels the SLS AMG to 60 mph in a mere 3.7 seconds and the car is electronically limited to an impressive 197 mph. As a result, both roadster and gullwing boast similar performance figures.
