Autoblog

Fans of the classic Gullwing Mercedes 300 SL have been eagerly awaiting the new Gullwing SLC supercar, which Mercedes' tuning house AMG has been spied working on over the last year. But if emerging reports are to be believed, the SLC won't wear a Mercedes badge at all. The true successor to SLR McLaren will reportedly be the first vehicle to be badged exclusively as an AMG product, forgoing the vaunted three-pointed star altogether.

Reports also indicate that with dimensions of 4650mm long, 2700mm wheelbase, 1950mm wide, and 1250mm high, the SLC will be similar in proportions to a Ferrari F430. Project C197, as the Gullwing SLC is internally known, is expected to make its debut at the 2010 Geneva show, with a cloth-roofed convertible R197 version to follow a year later.

[Source: Car via eurocarblog]

The facts surrounding the forthcoming Mercedes-Benz SLC supercar are scarce, but one thing's for sure: gull-wing doors are part of the package. So far, we've only seen spy shots of the SLC wearing body panels pilfered from other M-B products, along with one Viper-clad mule. But these newest images procured by eMercedesBenz not only give us a glimpse of the gull-winged homage, but also provide us with some idea of the proportions of the new supercar.

Previous reports suggest that underneath the elongated aluminum hood lays a turbocharged version of AMG's 6.3-liter V8, putting out around 600 hp and an unruly amount of torque. The cab-backwards stance, short rear overhangs and makeshift spoiler all hint at the Merc's pavement punishing potential, and the raised driver's side door -- still far from complete -- appears to remain true to the original 300SL.

Click the image above to check out more shots from eMercedesBenz.


[Source: eMercedesBenz]

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KGP Photographers have been following around Mercedes-Benz AMG engineers all day under the hot sun in California's "canyon country" just waiting for the right moment. It finally came when the engineers peeled back the car cover and revealed the mystery vehicle we showed you earlier. See this malforned Viper prototype does little to help us determine what production vehicle this car will eventually become, but we know it's property of Mercedes-Benz and involves the work of AMG, so everyone's best guess appears to be the upcoming SLC super coupe.

The SLC, you may recall, will be a transitional vehicle that Mercedes uses to implement a new all-aluminum space frame in its lineup. The car will be limited to a very low volume, though the processes used to build it will pave the way for aluminum to be injected into the new SL line of cars when they appear in 2012. There have been rumors that the SLC will feature gullwing doors like Mercs of yore, though these spy shots don't support that theory either way.

In fact, all we're able to see are general proportions at this point, and its clear from the extra-long bonnet that this car will be front-engine and rear-wheel-drive. We suppose all-wheel drive is a possibility, though we don't expect the AMG team to abandon their favorite layout.

[Photos: KGP Photography]

It's well known that Mercedes-Benz is developing a new sports car with its racing partner HWA, but, until now, there's been very little evidence of the car apart from a few superficial media reports. However, proof that such a car is in development are these new spy shots that show a very low slung development mule being tested in a desert by AMG engineers.

Contrary to earlier speculation, the prototype's severely long snout suggests this will be a front-engined model, but its proportions put it close to rivaling the flagship SLR in size. The spy photographers managed to get up close to the car during the night and were able to measure its wheelbase, which stands at 106 inches.

The extended wheelbase makes it very hard to believe this is in fact the SL-based SLC super-sports car that HWA rep Hans Jürgen Matheis hinted at back in June. That, and the cab backward proportions could signal something different. Winding Road thinks it could even be a new Maybach coupe, which would be very interesting indeed.

[Source: Winding Road]

In late June we showed you spy shots of the Mercedes-Benz SCL, what we believe will be Mercedes' answer to the Audi R8. It seems that the new Merc will be armed with a new weapon when it enters the fight - a lower curb weight.

Just Auto is reporting that Mercedes has plans to build the SL model out of aluminum, much like Aston Martin, Audi, Jaguar and Rolls-Royce have done with some of their models. Expected to use an aluminum spaceframe and body panels, the new SL should be at least 10 - 15% lighter than the current model, the weight of which ranges from 3,860 lbs. to 4,500 lbs. depending on what model and options are chosen.

Not wanting an interruption in SL production when the new aluminum structure is phased in, Mercedes is planning the super coupe SLC as a car that will use the spaceframe but be produced only in limited numbers. The idea is to make sure all the kinks are ironed out of the new production process before it's applied to the higher volume SL. Expect only about 3,000 to 4,000 SLC coupes to be produced, and you'll be able to pick one up around 2010, two years before the new all-aluminum SL debuts.

The SLC, however, will not share a body panel with the SL, which means it could even be the retro "gull-wing" coupe at which insiders have been hinting. We're also not sure if Mercedes will even continue to produce the SLC after the new SL arrives in 2012. At this point, there remains more questions than answers.

[Source: Just Auto - sub. req'd]

The SLC cometh. Mr. H. Lehmann and crew caught an early development mule out testing, and word is that the car will likely get its grunt from a front-mounted 6.2-liter V8 provided by AMG. In natural guise it would put out 500 bhp, but with a few blowers that could easily be "remedied" to 700 or so.

The SLC will be focused more on sport than luxury, and though based on the next-gen SL and sharing many of it parts, it will use carbon fiber throughout, including its hard top. We'll have to see what kind of weight specs (and body) are eventually revealed, but you're looking at Merc's main competitor for Audi's upcoming RS8.

[Source: Winding Road]