Spy Pics: New Mercedes SL will Look Amazing with a Soft Top

Different wheels on the front and back.

Mercedes-Benz has begun a major reconstruction of its lineup. It has recently admitted that it might have too few compact cars while on the other end of the spectrum it is killing two its most expensive coupes and convertibles. The company is working on the new SL.

The spy photos show that the open-top vehicle appears to still have all its production parts, including its taillights. Although they are still hidden under a camouflage FOIL, it does not stop us from looking at the overall shape and dimensions of this roadster.

Gorden Wagener, Daimler’s chief design officer, stated that the redesign of the SL will heavily be influenced by the 300 SL. Although it will retain some of the original 300 SL’s DNA (the proportions and the surface treatment), it is difficult to identify any design characteristics underneath the disguise. We are certain that the model will change from a hardtop roof to a fabric one.

Spy Pics: New Mercedes SL will Look Amazing with a Soft Top

It is interesting to see that the trial car has a quad exhaust arrangement at the rear, which may hint at AMG power under its hood. The new SL range is expected to start with the SL 43, and go up to the SL 73eAMG 4Matic. This is the SL 73e AMG 4Matic, which is the absolute range-topper. It features a 4.0-liter V8 and an electric motor.

The new SL is not expected to arrive until next year. However, we don’t know the exact date. The AMG derivatives won’t be sold initially, but we expect them to add the range towards the end of 2021 and early 2022.