Mercedes greenlights 911 fighter, reviving SLC name

Way back when we were calling the SLS the SLC, the men and women at AMG in Affalterbach were keeping a secret: there would be an SLC in addition to the SLS. The current car that we have had the opportunity to love in coupe and roadster forms is slated to end production in 2015. What will pick up where it leaves off is the SLC, a so-called "baby SLS" with a 4.0-liter V8 and an eight-speed, dual-clutch transmission.

Car magazine predicts the future coupe will have aluminum-intensive construction and be a better performer than the SLS it replaces. It could also be a median point, itself a 911 rival but perhaps serving as the basis for both an SLK variant and some other carbon fiber supercar beyond the SLS that could challenge a McLaren. After the unloved offspring that was the Mercedes McLaren SLR, we'd be in the front row of any grudge match to see if a hotted-up SLC could settle that sore score.