Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster on the road

Mercedes is out testing the convertible version of the SLA AMG in Europe – the Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster – before a launch at Geneva in 2010.

Even though the Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing is only just making its official debut at Frankfurt, Mercedes are working hard on its soft-top sibling – the SLS AMG Roadster – as this picture of the Roadster out testing in Germany confirms.

The Roadster will have the same 6.3 litre engine as the Gullwing – meaning 0-60 in around 4 seconds and a top speed of 195mph – but it will  make do with a canvas top. Which of course means no Gullwing doors. But it would seem the sensible way to go. I suppose Mercedes could have come up with some sort of removable Gullwing top – like the AC Cobra MK VI – but that would have been a bit ‘Heath Robinson’ for a Merc.

The other alternative would be a folding tin top – after all, Mercedes has been doing that on the SL for years – but it wouldn’t make sense. For starters, there’s not really anywhere to stow a hard-top. But you’d also end up with an SLS that looked like an SLS – but without the iconic Gullwing doors. That’s acceptable if you’ve got a rag-top, but not on a tin top.

So a folding canvas roof it is for the SLS AMG Roadster. Which will also help keep the weight in check and limit the impact on performance. When should we expect to see the SLS Roadster on the roads? It seems likely that Mercedes will bring a finished car along to the Geneva Motor Show in the Spring, with it hitting showrooms in the Autumn.

That’d be just in time for Summer, then?