Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG 2012 and 300 SL 1957 Comparison

No doubt about it, the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster is an awesome car. Just landed in Australia in limited numbers for a select few, it – like the gullwinged SLS coupe launched in 2010 – cuts a striking silhouette on the road.

With a raucous 420kW/650Nm, 6.2-litre V8 jammed under its oh-so-long bonnet, the SLS blends neck-snapping acceleration and knife-edge cornering with state-of-the-art gadgets and leather-lounge room comfort; all easily accessible by mere mortals. ?

But is this latest “Super Light” ‘Benz as special as the 300SL; the post-War supercar that inspired it in so many ways? A motoring icon more than 50 years its senior but arguably more striking and cutting-edge, with its racecar-like tubular chassis, fuel-injected engine and 250km/h-plus top speed – all virtually unheard of in a road car at the time.

And will the SLS bahnstormer remain as desirable into the future as the 300SL, which today can fetch well in excess of the half a million Aussie dollars required for the range-topping AMG?

To find out, we brought together a just-arrived 2011 SLS Roadster and fully-restored 1957 300SL Roadster; both bright red with black leather trim, but the similarities didn’t end there. ?

Parked side by side at our photo location along Melbourne’s scenic Yarra Boulevard, it’s easy to see how influenced the SLS designers were by the classic ’50s styling. While the safety-packed, luxury-lined SLS is obviously much bigger and heavier than the older car, visual cues abound, including the vertical headlights and shark gill-like air intakes behind the front wheels.

And why not, when the 300SL remains one of the standout designs in automotive history.

Low and lithe like the original, the SLS does lack some of the visual drama of the 300SL, which curves and bulges in ways a modern car is not capable of. While more imposing, the SLS lacks some of the older car’s aesthetic appeal, unless you count its orgasmic brake package with monster red calipers in full view behind 10-spoke matte black alloys.

Wherever you look the 300SL catches your eye, from the thin, nickel-plated handles to the aerodynamic ‘eyebrows’ over the wheelarches and glistening chrome adornment from front to rear.

And while uber-cool, with its lashings of leather and carbon fibre, the SLS’ high-tech interior is no match for the retro charms of the 300SL’s enticing cabin with its Wurlitzer juke box-style dash and majestic chrome and white tiller.

The SLS is more about the ‘wow’ stuff you can’t really see but can admire in operation, like the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, 11 second folding roof that works at speeds up to 50km/h. And since Benz was a major developer of airbag technology, it’s appropriate the AMG two-seater has eight of the lifesaving devices.

All in all though, if it was a beauty contest the 300SL would win hands down. But what about the driving experience?

The heart and soul of any great sportscar is the engine, and in the SLS it’s a raging beast.  While we didn’t extract the full potential of the AMG-built monster mill – 0-200km/h in 11.3 seconds – it’s immediately obvious even at highway pace this is a very, very quick car. Pretty smooth too, thanks to the decisive seven-speed dual clutch auto.

While at 1660kg it doesn’t exactly deserve the SL (“Super Light”) moniker, the extra bulk quickly dissipates as you rocket toward a potential top speed of 317km/h. Composite brakes and sticky Continental rubber hoops – 11-inch wide at the rear – means it stops as well as it goes.

There’s adjustable suspension and multiple driving modes – from comfort to Sport-plus – to choose from, depending on your mood. And a launch control function for when you’re running late for that business meeting!

It’s also as comfortable and spacious (for two) as any 'Benz saloon, and quite happy pottering around town with a firm but pleasant ride to match.

Due to modern customer desires, it’s obvious the SLS is more Grand Tourer than road racer, even if it can sound like something you hear going around Bathurst in early October.  And if you ever tire of that magnificent engine roar, you can always crank up Vivaldi on the orchestral-quality Bang & Olufsen stereo.

In fact, it’s so docile in traffic my only nerve wracking moments were peering over the endless bonnet, trying to prevent the low-lying front lip from being ripped off over speed bumps or dipping driveways.

Having driven a few classic cars over the years, I wasn’t expecting much from the 55-year-old 300SL, but it turned out to be a very different but equally pleasurable punt.

Unlike the original Gullwing, which had a folding steering wheel to aid access to the driver’s seat, the Roadster’s oversized tiller is easily negotiated as you slide onto pleated leather buckets and assume a comfortable, commanding view over the twin-bulge bonnet.?
The stick-thin gearlever with plastic white knob slips easily through the gears, while oodles of creamy, low-down torque from the brawny 3.0-litre straight six ensures getting up to speed isn’t an issue. ?

With zero to 100km/h sprinting in less than 9 seconds, it’s remarkably flexible too, able to accelerate from rolling speed to 160km/h in third gear.?
And thanks to surefooted, four-wheel independent suspension and unassisted recirculating ball steering that lightens up at speed, the 300SL feels surprisingly nimble around the Yarra Boulevard’s flowing curves, encouraging a degree of bravado in a car valued more than the average Melbourne house. With its racecar roots in mind, it almost urges you to go faster and explore its limits.

The decibels are more subdued than in the head-banging SLS but just as evocative, beginning as a muted grumble before rising to a rip-roaring rasp at full song. My only real concern was the brakes – or lack of them – with a firm stomp on the pedal needed to fully wake up the servo-assisted drums.

No less thrilling to drive than in its heyday, the 300SL is a glorious reminder of a bygone era. One of just a handful of 300SL Roadsters in Australia, it’s not surprising the owner of this immaculate, left-hand drive example drives it regularly and has participated in tarmac rallies including Classic Adelaide.

So does Mercedes’ 21st century super-GT live up to the SL legend? Yes, but only because it evokes some of the things that makes the 300SL one of greatest cars ever from the three-point star’s stable.

For those with bank accounts less than seven figures, it’s an academic exercise to choose between these two highly desirable, racy roadsters from different eras. But if asked to pick one as my Sunday driver, it would have to be the 300SL.

After all this time, it still manages to deliver soul-stirring performance, unmistakable beauty and a feel-good factor unrivalled by any modern supercar. It’s a better investment too.?

IN THE BEGINNING
Derived from the 1952 Le Mans-winning racer, the 300SL Gullwing coupe launched in 1954 brought race-track technology to the street.

Sensational for its time, it featured a tubular spaceframe chassis and steel and alloy body, with deep sills necessitating roof-hinged Gullwing doors.

The single-cam, 3.0-litre straight-six engine was canted at 50 degrees to allow a low bonnet line. It also had fuel injection instead of carburetors – a production car first.

Helped by clever aerodynamics, it was the fastest car of its era, capable of up to 265km/h, depending on gearing.

As one of the first true supercars, it was also extremely expensive with a string of celebrity owners including Pablo Picasso and Sophia Loren.

It wasn’t the easiest car to live with though; tricky to climb into and with a reputation for evil handling on the limit.

Strong demand in America (where most 300SLs were sold) led to a tamer Roadster version replacing the Gullwing in 1957. Changes included new vertical headlights, conventional doors and a more forgiving ‘low pivot’ design rear suspension.

The six-cylinder also put out more power and torque in the Roadster, thanks to a sportier camshaft and higher compression ratio.

All up, 1858 Roadsters were built between 1957-63, compared to 1400 Gullwings. Both variants remain highly sought after by collectors, fetching as much as $700,000 or more.?

A “spiritual successor” to the 300SL, it was initially introduced in 2010 as the Gullwing coupe, followed a year later by the drop-top version.

Like the Gullwing, the Roadster is built around a rigid aluminium spaceframe and powered by AMG's 6.2-litre V8 driving through a rear-mounted, seven-speed dual-clutch transaxle.  A DTM race car-style carbon fibre shaft links the engine, which develops 420kW and 650Nm, to the transmission.
?Unlike the cheaper SL convertible, the SLS eschews a folding metal top for more traditional ragtop, that can be opened or shut remotely or on the move in a swift 11secs.

It’s 40kg heavier than the Gullwing, thanks to reinforcements designed to increase rigidity including bulked-up door sills, and stiffening struts in the windscreen and rear corners.

The Roadster comes with adjustable suspension and four driving modes; racing to 100km/h in 3.8 seconds before topping out at 317km/h (slightly less than the coupe). Launch control, three-stage stability control and a mechanical diff lock complete the go-fast package.

The techno-laden “aircraft style” cabin has multi-adjustable leather buckets and an internet-ready multimedia system that measures ‘track’ data including G forces and lap times.

SLS annual production is pegged at 5000, of which 80 per cent are expected to be Roadsters. In Australia the soft-top SLS is priced at $487,500 - $23,500 more than the Gullwing.

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