New Mercedes SL will sound the death knell for the AMG GT roadster

New Mercedes SL will sound the death knell for the AMG GT roadster

The arrival of an all-new Mercedes SL this year will see the AMG GT Roadster phased out, although the coupe and four-door survive.

The Mercedes SL seems to have been allowed to whither on the vine in recent years as Mercedes saw its future for powerful drop-tops lying with the AMG GT Roadster, in the process seemingly losing faith in the SL, a car which was once the pinnacle of Mercedes’ offerings.

But having teased the new SL last summer, ahead of a debut this year, it now seems that the contrary is the reality, and the arrival of the new Mercedes SL will see the end of the AMG GT.

Speaking to Car and Driver, AMG CEO Philipp Schiemer confirmed the AMG GT Roadster will disappear when the new SL arrives, although the GT Coupe and four-door GT will continue, and reminding us that “the roots of the SL are in racing“, intimating the new SL will be more of a driver’s car than models past.

Schiemer went on to confirm that the new SL will also be offered with 48v hybrid powertrains and plug-in powertrains, with a 4.0 litre version of the plug-in platform heading for the next AMG C63 likely to mean an SL 73e with up to 790bhp and a sub-3.0 second 0-62mph.