Inevitably, the arrival of spring has convertible owners -- especially those stuck in snowbelt states -- itching to enjoy their vehicles al fresco. This same itch apparently afflicts those employed at Mercedes-Benz, as the company's AMG performance division just rolled out its new 2012 SLS AMG Roadster months ahead of its scheduled debut in Frankfurt.
The cache of official photos released by the PR team in Stuttgart show the drop-top take on the SLS wearing light camouflage, but there's really very little to hide. Below the beltline, the Roadster is almost identical to its coupe sibling (563-hp, 6.2-liter V-8, rear-wheel-drive, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and so on). Above that point, the revisions are quite predictable: in lieu of the fixed metal roof and distinctive upward-opening doors, the Roadster uses a retractable folding soft top and conventional, front-hinged doors.
Despite clipping the wing-shaped portals, AMG engineers insist they had to change precious little in order to orchestrate a convertible SLS. Unlike the original 300 SL, the SLS was designed from square one to accommodate both coupe and convertible body styles; subsequently, both cars incorporate a number of tricks (i.e. thick side sills, etc.) to increase stiffness. Additional reinforcements are added to the Roadster's spaceframe, but are limited to supports beneath the windshield and around the transmission tunnel, a strut mounting stay installed between the soft top assembly and the fuel tank, and a cross member placed behind the front seats -- the latter providing a mounting point for both pop-up rollover protection and a subwoofer sourced from Bang & Olufsen.
Daimler notes the convertible's bodyshell itself weighs only six pounds more than the SLS coupe, but the company doesn't provide a curb weight for the completed vehicle. Although the cloth top is inevitably lighter than a folding hardtop design, expect the Roadster's heft to still eclipse the coupe's 3573 pounds, if ever so slightly. Mercedes-Benz says top speed is still electronically limited to 197 mph, but the Roadster's sprint from 0-60 mph may take a little longer than the coupe, which completes the run in3.8 seconds.
Apart from singing the praises of the soft top (i.e. it's well insulated, devoid of flapping even at high-speeds, and both folds and deploys in a short 11 seconds), Mercedes-Benz isn't saying much else about the SLS AMG Roadster. Expect more details to emerge come September, when the car is formally introduced at the Frankfurt motor show. Finalized pricing will likely be announced closer to the Roadster's market launch, which is tentatively scheduled for the close of 2011 for U.S. customers.
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