SPY PICS: SLK operation

It is clear from these shots taken by Carparazzi's nimble-fingered shooters that Mercedes-Benz is working on a new SLK, although just how new is open to speculation.

Certainly there are some obvious indicators in these recently snapped pics that it's not just a nose and tail job.

New, door-mounted side mirrors and changes to the base of the A-pillars, new door handles and maybe, just maybe, some higher-set AMG-style vents behind the front wheel arches tend to suggest some precious development money has been spent on the pioneering hardtop convertible.

Carparazzi claims the SLK will get a nose job to replace the current F1 look, although we reckon that's a bit hard to say with the Chrysler Crossfire (a close relation) bonnet disguise. But the headlights, as Carparazzi says, do look as if they might have adopted a more vertical profile and there are certainly signs of some LED action underneath.

However it is unlikely the base structure will change dramatically from the current SLK that was introduced here in 2004.

As for the rest, it is way too early, with the next generation SLK still three years off, to speculate -- but we can imagine the engine lineup will remain pretty much as is with supercharged four-cylinder, V6 and V8 engines driving through six or seven-speed auto transmissions.

The first generation SLK was introduced locally in 1997 and blazed the trail for a swathe of other convertibles employing the folding metal roof concept. With seven years between that original (R170) generation and the current R171 platform, that leads us to wonder whether the car pictured here won't be substantially different from the current SLK, notwithstanding the prospect of being built on the same platform.

-- with Carparazzi

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