Not that the current Mercedes SLS is doing bad, but the company decided to raise the bar even higher by replacing it with a more potent, sportier SLS AMG GT. This one too will be available as both coupe and roadster, features 591 horsepower (+20), optimised AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed sports transmission and redeveloped AMG RIDE CONTROL Performance suspension. So it could be a totally different car to drive.
The look has not changed significantly, only the head and taillights are darkened, there are more high-gloss finish surfaces, and the brake calipers are painted red by default. The interior however gets a new AMG designo Exclusive STYLE leather (optional).
As mentioned the 6.3 liter V8 has been tweaked to give 435 kW (591 hp) at 6800 rpm, and maximum torque of 650 Nm at 4750 rpm. That will translate into a 0 to 100 km/h time of 3.7 seconds, and 11.2 seconds to 200 km/h. Top speed is limited to 320 km/h.
The highlight of the SLS GT is the optimized gearbox, and the revised suspension and ride control – featuring twin aluminium wishbones all round and variable, electronically controlled damping. we need to see the car in action to make sure, but we have a sneaking suspicion AMG has dialed down the lunacy in the new model, and made it tamer, and faster. The current SLS is like a tail happy dog. The new one might be the opposite of that.
That is pretty much it for the SLS GT, besides the new interior trims which are fantastic. We quite like the Alcantara-wrapped dashboard and the red stitching. The GT goes on sale from October 2012, priced from 204,680 euros fro the Coupe and 213,010 euros fro the Roadster, while AMG designo Exclusive STYLE leather costs 5771.50 euros.
Here’s a list of other AMG optional extras for the car:
* AMG carbon-fibre exterior mirrors
* AMG carbon-fibre engine compartment cover
* AMG Interior Carbon-Fibre package (carbon-fibre trim, trim on seat backrest and side, door sill panels)
* AMG ceramic high-performance composite braking system
* AMG Performance Media
* AMG 10-spoke forged wheels in other colour variants
* AMG carbon-fibre trim
* AIRSCARF (Roadster)
* Bang & Olufsen BeoSound AMG surround sound system
