Mercedes confirms 'Gullwing' return

Forget the rumours and scuttlebutt, Mercedes-Benz has confirmed the 'Gullwing' is reborn. Our men at Carparazzi first scooped the new car undergoing testing in the US (more here), but now MB has caved in and revealed some facts about the new car, which is to be named Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and will replace the McLaren SLR as the three-pointed star's new range-topping halo model.

Judging from the initial specifications it thoroughly deserves its place at the top of the heap.

"Mercedes-Benz is presenting an exhilarating super sports car in the guise of the new SLS AMG, which is bound to set the pulses of all car enthusiasts racing that extra bit faster," says Dieter Zetsche, Mercedes-Benz chairman. "The SLS AMG is emotion pure and simple for the Mercedes-Benz brand and is set to become one of the most alluring sports cars of our era."

Set to go on sale in early 2010, the car will make its public debut at next year's Geneva Motor Show and find its way to Australia by the end of the year.

Until then Mercedes has some information to build anticipation.

Motivation for the new car will come from a 6.3-litre V8 engine built by Mercedes' performance operation, AMG. The front-mid mounted unit will produce 420kW at 6800rpm and 650Nm at 4750rpm, transferring its power to the rear wheels via the company's new seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Despite all the power and torque Mercedes claims for it, the engine should be able to return fuel economy figures of 13L/100km.

As is the case in the new Nissan GT-R, the transmission is mounted at the rear of the car. A carbonfibre driveshaft links the engine to the transaxle, integrating the gear cluster with a mechanical locking differential. Mercedes says this layout was chosen to optimize weight distribution at a 48/52 per cent split, front to rear.

The new gearbox will offer quicker gearchanges than the current automatic. There will be four different modes for the transmission including a function called RACESTART. Naturally there is electronic stability control, but it will come with three modes -- On, Sport and Off -- that will be selected by a cabin mounted button.

That mechanical package sits inside an all-aluminum spaceframe chassis. Mercedes' engineers worked hard to not only keep weight to a minimum but also make the centre of gravity as low as possible for improved handling. They went as far as to use dry sump lubrication on the engine to drop it lower in the engine bay.

Naturally the car features the trademark 'Gullwing' doors that made the original 1950s 300SL so famous. Given the low ride height of the new car the top-hinged doors are necessary to make getting in and out of the car easy.

Stopping power comes from composite brakes -- with optional ceramic discs also available to make braking distances even shorter.

AMG has designed new alloy wheels for the car that are 9.5 x 19 inch at the front and 11 x 20 inch at the rear. The company claims new "innovative flow-forming" principles cut unsprung weight while both improving ride comfort and handling.

But the burning question that Mercedes didn't answer is whether or not the 'Gullwing' name will be made official. The iconic name is mentioned in the press release but never in direct relation to the car's proper title.