SPY PICS: Next Mercedes-Benz SL spotted

Long, low and wide, the new-generation Mercedes-Benz SL has come into focus after being spotted testing in Germany ahead of its global launch next year.

The latest spy photos of the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class provide the best look yet at the new model’s shape, which retains classic grand tourer proportions with a long and wide bonnet, pushed-back passenger canopy and modest front and rear overhangs.

In other words, this is a car designed to attract attention.

The next-gen SL Roadster will ditch its metal folding roof for a traditional fabric roof – power-operated, naturally – which will allow owners of the circa-$250,000 luxury sports car to enjoy open-air motoring.

It should also create a bit more boot space and may see the return of rear seats, giving the car a 2+2 seating layout.

It’s not yet clear when the new SL will touch down in Australia, but sources close to Mercedes say it could be late 2021 or even extending into 2022.

We’ve published spy shots of the iconic roadster previously, including from early 2019 when it was clothed in a mismatched suit that looked more like a four-door S-Class sedan than a two-door boulevard cruiser.

The Mercedes-Benz SL badge has strong provenance, tracing its lineage to the 1954 Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing – a now priceless vehicle whose design inspired the new model, says Benz design chief Gordon Wagener.

Although it’s impossible to tell from the camouflaged photos, Wagener reckons the new SL has more in common to the original mid-’50s car, stylistically, than any other SL thus far.

Former AMG boss – and now Aston Martin CEO – Tobias Moers previously said the new SL will be based on the same platform architecture as the four-door AMG GT, and given that AMG has “taken on the task of overall vehicle development for the reinterpretation of the legendary roadster” it’s expected to be one of the most potent SLs yet.

This also means louder, quicker and faster AMG models are a given, possibly also leveraging hybrid technology.

The new SL range is expected to begin with the SL 43. The iconic V8-powered SL 500 should return, as well as incendiary AMG models, the SL 63 and potentially even plug-in hybrid AMG SL 73e versions.

The latter model grade could pump out 600kW of power and deliver supercar levels of straight-line performance with a 0-100km/h sprint time of less than three seconds if hooked up to the brand’s 4MATIC all-wheel drive system.

Related: See all the latest carsales Spy Pics here