When Mercedes and McLaren decided their road car future was not together, they went separate ways in development, but both with the aim of producing a lighter, more efficient car than the SLR.
McLaren is well on the way with development of the P11 as we saw recently, and Mercedes is definitely getting close with its replacement, the Mercedes SLC AMG Gullwing.
Mercedes SLC AMG Gullwing - Caught testing and due in showrooms in 2010
Our snappers caught the Gullwing out testing, ready for the concept’s launch at the Frankfurt Motor Show later this year.
The SLC’s most striking feature (at least on the coupe) is the Gullwing doors, reminiscent of the original 300SL. To keep the car stiffer, Mercedes has opted for an aluminium space frame instead of the Carbon fibre on the SLR.The downside is the big, chunky sills you can see on the car. But the upside is extra stiffness and big cost savings. With a target price of around £120-140k the SLC is going to come in at around half the SLR’s price.
The SLC is supposed to get a 575bhp V8 which, the way things are going, could be the last of the big horsepower Mercs for a while. But if they stick with this engine we should see a sub 4 second 0-60mph and around 200mph top speed. But the car will be light, around 1600kg, so the headline figures should be 20mpg.
It’s another year before the car’s official debut (at Geneva in 2010), and there should be a convertible version in showrooms by 2011, but all eyes will be on the SLC concept in September at Franfurt to see how it stacks up.
Have your say - leave a comment