The design team at Mercedes-Benz might have some of the most challenging jobs in the car industry. Imagine working in an environment where materials, ideas and money are no object, and add to that the weight of working for a company with more than 100 years of innovative car designs. That’s a lot of pressure. With the new 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Mercedes’ designers have overcome that pressure to create one of the sleekest, most stylized cars on the road.
The SLS AMG is a nod to the Mercedes supercars of yore, specifically the 300SL gull-wing coupe. While the 300 SL’s shark-like intakes and front grille have been re-envisioned for 2010, Mercedes has also updated the curviness of the 1950s’ coupe with aerodynamic front fenders, a low rear diffuser and a somewhat rounded rear end.
The highlight of the new SLS has to be the updated inclusion of the iconic gull-wing doors. It’s a stunning “tip-of-the-cap” design element that shows Mercedes is pushing the envelope without losing what’s truly cool about the historic car company’s past.
With such an attention-attracting exterior, I expected the SLS’s interior to be more extravagant. In all honesty, the interior is comfortable and quite plain but with high-end materials. Mercedes doesn’t want you to forget that this car should really be driven on the racetrack and not used for picking your kids up at the mall. However you slice it, there is nothing about the SLS that would make me want to return it to the dealer.
The photos are from the 2009 L.A. Auto Show where I wish I’d spent some time driving the SLS, not just drooling on it. Check out the full-screen player below.
