High Roller Rides
2009 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG
Bowing at the Geneva show is the all-new Mercedes-Benz SL63 high-performance roadster.
By Jim Hall
Another eagerly awaited car bowing at the Geneva show is the all-new Mercedes-Benz SL63 high-performance roadster.
This AMG-built 6.3-liter V-8 powerplant should produce in excess of 500 horsepower and will most likely be mated to Mercedes’ 7-speed automatic transmission featuring AMG Speedshift steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.
Highlights to the latest iteration of this venerable German top-down two-door SL-Class include a sportier, new-look front fascia and hood, McLaren SLR-style side vents, a restyled cabin, and Airscarf – a head and neck warming system integrated into the headrests to allow for more top-down touring in the cooler seasons.
But this classy yet athletic-looking machine gets an even more aggressive look for the SL63 model. Lightweight 5-spoke alloys are shod with large-diameter, low-profile performance rubber for improved handling. And that aforementioned “fish gille”-styled side vent on the standard car is replaced by a larger, sturdier-looking one piece appliqué featuring bold “6.3 AMG” scripting. At the back, a more pronounced rear undertray, quad exhaust tips and a lip spoiler running across the trunk from taillight to taillight lets those caught in its wake as it rapidly passes by know that this isn’t any ordinary SL.
Prices for the new SL-Class should range between $100,000 (V-8 engine) and $140,000 (V-12-equiiped), with the new SL63 likely slotting in somewhere in between (though most likely closer to the upper echelon).
