Mercedes celebrates the 60th birthday of its iconic SL roadster with the release of a short clip that chronicles the whole evolution of the model, from 1952’s 300SL all the way up to the recently unveiled R231 version, with its new aluminum bodyshell (a first in Mercedes-Benz’s history).

Just as a quick reminder, the new Mercedes SL comes with a 3.5-litre V6 engine producing 306 hp and 370 Nm of peak torque (for the SL350 version) and a 4.7-litre V8 unit producing 435 hp and 700 Nm (for the SL500). Both engines use a 7G-TRONIC PLUS automatic transmission.

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Recently we have been talking a lot about the new Mercedes SL Roadster, covering basically all steps of the process that eventually led to its virtual launch. Now, after the leaked brochure and photo gallery and the first lot of official videos, Mercedes-Benz just released another couple of videos starring their new model, right before we will finally get to see the car ‘in the metal’ at the upcoming North American International Auto Show (January 9-22), in Detroit. Check out the second video by clicking on the ‘Continue Reading’ link below, where you will also find a 9-minute long clip of the SL driving around uploaded by youtube user TheCarFanatic.

As recently confirmed by the carmaker, the new Mercedes SL will come with a 3.5-litre V6 engine for the SL350 version (producing 306 hp and 370 Nm of peak torque) and a 4.7-litre V8 unit for the SL500 (with an output of 435 hp and 700 Nm). Both engines will come with a 7G-TRONIC PLUS automatic transmission. Also worth mentioning is the fact that the model is also the first production Merc to use an aluminum body-shell, a choice that made it considerably lighter and less ‘thirsty’ than its predecessor, and still it boasts better performance figures.

Continue reading: 2013 Mercedes SL: more videos emerge

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Mercedes-Benz released the first bunch of videos starring their latest creation, the all new Mercedes SL (codenamed R231). The model replaces the successful version that waved the SL flag for a decade, selling 169.434 units and getting out of production just a few weeks ago. This new SL is the sixth generation of the iconic Mercedes roadster, which begun its ride in 1954 with the historic 300SL ‘Gullwing’

These four new videos (see the other three after the jump) provide us with a more comprehensive overview of both interior and exterior of the new SL, which have been covering pretty extensively in the last couple of weeks. As you can see, the car surely lives up to the expectations, retaining that feeling of luxury and exclusivity that characterized all of its predecessors. The new Mercedes-Benz SL Roadster will be officially unveiled at the upcoming North American International Auto Show, this coming January.

Continue reading: 2013 Mercedes SL: official videos surface

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By the end of the year Mercedes will present the new and completely redeveloped SL Roadster, which is said to have taken the meaning of the SL tag (’sporty’ and ‘lightweight’) even more seriously. Our colleagues from Autoblog.it had the chance to see it at the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio in Carlsbad, California, where they also met engineers and designers involved in the project, and here is an account of what they told them.

The car surely lives up to Mercedes’s high standards combining tradition and innovation, and its most distinctive feature is possibly its brand new state-of-the-art aluminum frame, the first full aluminum bodyshell ever implemented in large series production by Mercedes-Benz. This construction uses different kinds of aluminum, and each one of its components has been specifically designed and optimized for its own specific task. All parts are obtained through chill casting or vacuum die casting, worked into extruded aluminum sections or into aluminium plates of different thicknesses. Apart from being significantly lighter, this new structure is superior to the previous steel construction also in terms of rigidity and safety, with lower resonance and vibrations. However, it is not a 100% aluminum bodyshell as Mercedes also used the even lighter magnesium for the rear panel and high-strength steel tubing integrated in the A-pillars. Let’s translate all this into numbers then: weighing in at 254 kg, this new structure will allow the new SL 500 to gain 125 kg over its predecessor while the new SL 350 will be no less than 140 kg lighter than the current version. Torsional stiffness has gone up as well, going from the already impressive 16,400 Nm per degree of the last models up to 19,400 Nm per degree of this new aluminum bodyshell.

Click on the ‘Continue Reading’ link below the thumbnails to find out more about the new chassis and see more pictures and videos.

Continue reading: New Mercedes SL spotted at the Advanced Design Studio in Carlsbad

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