Few modern cars carry as much visual drama as the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Launched in 2010 as the first car developed entirely in-house by AMG, it was conceived as a spiritual successor to the legendary 300 SL — and it reintroduced that car’s most theatrical feature, the gullwing door, to a modern audience.
The last of the great naturally aspirated AMGs
Beneath the long bonnet sits the M159: a hand-built 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8 producing 563 hp, mounted well back for a front-mid-engine layout and paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transaxle. It dispatches 0–62 mph in 3.8 seconds and runs on to 196 mph. Just as importantly, the SLS represents one of the last large-capacity, naturally aspirated AMG engines before the marque turned to turbocharged power with the AMG GT that replaced it.
Coupe, Roadster and the special editions
The gullwing Coupe arrived in 2010, joined in 2011 by a Roadster with conventional doors and a folding fabric roof. A series of increasingly focused variants followed: the SLS AMG GT (583 hp), the track-bred Black Series (622 hp and around 70 kg lighter), the limited GT Final Edition (350 cars), and even an all-electric SLS AMG Electric Drive, of which just nine were built.
A blue-chip modern collectible
With production ending in 2014, the SLS has settled comfortably into its role as a genuine modern classic, combining old-school mechanical theatre with real everyday usability. Well-specified, low-mileage examples with full history are the ones that hold and build value — particularly the rarer Roadsters and the special editions.
We currently have a 2012 Mercedes-Benz BRABUS SLS AMG Roadster in stock — a rare, subtly enhanced example. Please get in touch to arrange a viewing.
