Until today the official line from Mercedes-Benz was that this car didn't exist. However, its launch is looming and Mercedes-Benz has unveiled some details and early development shots of the car it's calling the SLS AMG and referring to simply as Gullwing. As the car that replaces the Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR at the very top of the Mercedes range it's going to have to be special, and a quick look through the technical specifications suggests it will be.

Power comes from AMG's 6.2-litre V8 - that the company insists on badging 6.3 - which in the SLS produces a healthy 562bhp and 479lb.ft of torque. That'll all be driven to the back wheels via AMG's seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission, which offers four different driving modes including a Race Start function. For the brave and talented the ESP system is switchable too, with three settings of ESP on, ESP Sport and ESP off. With weight distribution of 48/52 front to rear the SLS promises to be incredibly balanced, countless laps of honing its dynamics having been undertaken at the Nordschleife part of the Nurburgring in Germany.

Its construction comprises an aluminium spaceframe that's both light and strong - the spaceframe itself weighing just 241kg. Overall the SLS tips the scales at 1,620kg without a driver, while measures like dry-sump lubrication and composite brakes keep its centre of gravity low and ensure that unsprung masses are kept to an absolute minimum. Provisional performance figures from Mercedes have the SLS maxing out at 195mph and reaching 62mph in just 3.8 seconds. Mercedes is also quite excited about its ability to return around 21mpg on the combined cycle. Like we care...

The first Mercedes to be entirely developed in-house from digital prototyping through to actual development testing, the SLS features all the safety equipment you'd expect in a Mercedes, including no less than eight airbags. Although the early pictures Mercedes has released hide much of the bodywork there are hints to its shape. The long bonnet, rounded rump and gullwing doors are a direct nod to the iconic 300SL Gullwing, the blistered humps capping the front-wheel cut outs too being a reverential nod to Mercedes's most iconic sports car. Prices have yet to be announced, but the Gullwing should significantly undercut the SLR it replaces. It'll need to if it's going to succeed in the current economic climate. More details will be available when it's officially launched later this year at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Kyle Fortune - 12 Mar 2009