Mercedes-AMG SL

Mercedes' 'old-timer' roadster is off in a sportier direction, but is it the right one?

MODEL TESTED 63 4MATIC+ PREMIUM PLUS

Price £171,965

Power 577bhp

Torque 590lb ft

 0-60mph 3.5sec

 30-70mph 2.8sec

Fuel economy 19.7mpg

 CO2 emissions 299g/km

 70-0mph 42.1m

Mercedes' 'W194' endurance racer left an indelible mark on motorsport in 1952. winning Le Mans, the Nürburgring Eifelrennen and Mexico's Carrera Panamericana, and it finished second on the Mille Miglia. It was retired after only a season, but such was the interest it caused that Mercedes' US importer Max Hoffman (who would later prove key in the genesis of so many Porsches) suggested Mercedes should make a production version. So it did: in 1954, there followed the 'W198' 300 SL 'Gullwing'.

Six further generations of what would become known as the Mercedes SL followed, the longest-lived remaining in production for a remarkable 18 years. But over the decades, the SL has been defined very differently, swinging all the way from motorsport exile to thick pile-carpeted, gently wafting, drop-top luxury icon.

Mercedes says it's going back to its roots. The new R232-generation car has officially become a Mercedes-AMG SL. Designed and developed exclusively by Mercedes' own factory tuning department, the car comes in AMG-badged forms only and features several technical departures aimed at not only cutting weight and enhancing performance, handling and driver feedback but also boosting the daily usability for which the SL has become so well known.