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
Bu hikaye BBC TopGear India dergisinin August 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye BBC TopGear India dergisinin August 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Does It Fly?
2024 TVS APACHE RR 310 ₹2.75 Lakh - ₹2.97 Lakh (ex-showroom)
Is It A Scooter? Is It A Bike? No! It Is The BMW CE 02
It is rare when you come across a moment where a company brings out a vehicle into the market without knowing who exactly they want to sell it to.
Aston Martin Valkyrie
The Aston Martin Valkyrie still looks like nothing else on four wheels. Probably because it isn’t.
ONE-MAN BAND
We are a cynical bunch of people as we try our best to narrow down our vision and focus on the things that are lacking.
CRISIS AVERTED! THE EXISTENTIAL KIND
Finally, the Yezdi Adventure won’t be suffering from an existential crisis anymore.
ROYAL ENFIELD HIMALAYAN
ALTHOUGH IT IS A PERENNIAL ORDEAL FOR ANY MOTORCYCLIST to feel sad while parting ways with a motorcycle, it became even sadder for me this time around.
TVS APACHE RTR 310
THE FIRST THING I WANT TO SAY IS - “IT IS A MENACE ON WHEELS”.
ACE OF BASE
What happens when you take Porsche's old school entry level model and give it a very not entry level upgrade? This is a 914 as you've never seen it before
MOMS KNOW BEST
Volvo's XC90 was the stereotypical Soccer Mom car. So how will the all-electric EX90 be received among the soccer pitches of Orange County?
THE THEORYOF EVOLUTION
Ridged bladder seats, an inflating steering wheel and an AI track day coach... has Lotus hit on the supercar’s future, or gone mad’?
