AMG Gullwing spreads wings

Scheduled to make a big-budget, razzle-dazzle entrance at the 2009 Frankurt motor show in mid September, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing will showcase the latest performance tech from Stuttgart.

Shaping up to be one of 2009's biggest new car launches, if not this decade's, Merc's high performance V8 SLS AMG will herald the return of the classic 'gullwing' vertically opening doors, which will increase interest in the vehicle ten-fold.

New teaser images of the SLS AMG Gullwing supercar have filtered through Mercedes' marketing machine, showing off revealing shots of the interior, not to mention the door apertures.

Supercars are stereotyped as being hard to live with and difficult to get in and out of, but as these new shots show the SLS AMG Gullwing will be one of the most accessible supercars in a generation. The heavily bolstered seats also appear to be available in various different colours.

Apart from a closer look at the door mechanism, which extends open to 70 degrees, and the aviation-inspired interior fitout, no new details have emerged.

We know that the front-mid mounted V8 engine will develop around 420kW of power and 650Nm of torque, which will be channelled to the rear axle via a seven-speed dual clutch semi-automatic gearbox.

The 6.2-litre AMG-fettled V8 mill should provide enough shunt to propel the SLS from zero to 100km/h in 3.8 seconds, give or take a tenth of a second.

With its ultra-long bonnet and pushed-back greenhouse situating driver and passenger almost directly over the rear axle, the new model is expected to be very agile and will be able to eclipse 300km/h, where such speeds are legal.

Expect a price point of around €150,000 or $270,000 which would be a relative bargain for such a uniquely designed supercar.

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