How many cars will come to your mind which will take you back to memory lane, which remains christened in your passive side of the brain forever? The generation which has grown up while watching 'Dil Chahta Hai' movie will remember the iconic Mercedes-Benz R129 and the famous road trip to Goa. If social media were present in those days, then almost every bro's instagram feed would be filled with three friends road-tripping to Goa in a car of their choice. The SL line of Mercedes has so much history, emotion and romanticism ever since it debuted in 1954. Famous people were seen with it, it was Bollywood's favourite, a car that was fantasised over and over again and the object of many enthusiasts' wet dreams.
It now sits in its 7th generation and is the first SL to be entirely made by AMG folks with the "One Man, One Engine" principle creating the best engines in the world. The V8 engine is assembled purely by hand and develops an output of 476 hp with a peak torque of 700 Nm. The sprint from standstill to 100 km/h takes 3.9 seconds with the top speed capped at 295 km/h, but all that is very sublime with the way it looks with or without its soft top over the driver's head. The yesteryears design & shape were more iconic and had a sense of storytelling, especially the R129 Model, or the Goa trip of Amir, Saif & Akshay which left an unerasable mark on all of us. I drove the SL55 to Mahabaleshwar Hills amidst heavy monsoon, hoping to open the soft top with every rain pause opportunity.
EXTERIOR-THE OOMPH-LOOKING MERCEDES
Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av BBC TopGear India.
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Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av BBC TopGear India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
THE PERFECT RECIPE FOR KARI FT. EUROGRIP
What happens when you do track days in the name of pushing the limits of a tyre
ROOKIE BLUES
Acosta Urged for Patience as KTM Chases Ducati
THE VALUE OF TIME
Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen
DJI Osmo Action 4
Being an automotive journalist, our job entails us to ride motorcycles of all kinds and not to forget, the life behind driving some exotic set of wheels as well.
WAR WORDS WORLDS
Indians might not have played a deciding role in the previous world wars but now, our participation is much more evident
XTREME MACHINE
Maserati's racing history is a patchwork of epic highs and long absences, so can the MCXtrema - a track only version of its latest supercar-bring back the glory days?
WET AND WILD
No doors, no roof, no boot, but at least there's a windscreen... Paul Horrell pulls on his waterproof trousers and takes the Nomad 2 for a spin
STREAM W0RKS
This is an MG. Yes, really. Turns out it's got form in streamliners too...just ask Stirling Moss
A map and a compass.
Dacia got a foothold in the UK with cheapness, now it wants toughness on its CV. Can the new Duster handle Morocco's heat and locate a Dakar team in the desert - no GPS allowed?
A RECKLESS DEVELOPMENT?
Farewell, V10, this is the new Lamborghini Temerario, a 907bhp V8 hybrid. A worthy Huracán successor, or a misstep from the Italian firm?
