Car News briefs: Mercedes prepping Super SL

AUTOWEEK and AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
Posted Date: 4/8/05
Super SL

Word from Germany is that Mercedes-Benz is prepping a super-lightweight version of its SL roadster, with a production-car debut slated for this fall’s Frankfurt motor show. Unclear at this time is whether the car will be powered by the AMG tuner division’s upcoming 6.3-liter 500-hp V8, or if the uber-performance model will be an offshoot of the 6.0-liter, 604-hp twin-turbo V12 SL65 AMG.

 

We'd all love to see some more info/data on this upcoming "Super SL" .... anyone have any?

Hopefully they'll put in a new racing sequential trans that can handle a lot more torque than the stock SL 65, that way they can derestrict it completely to let loose with probably 800 or more horsepower and 950 or more lb/ft of torque ......

If they can make it a dedicated hardtop, take out all the convertible mechanisms, light-weight body panels with light weight suspension,wheel, and brake set-up, take out all the luxury items inside and replace with ultra-lightweight 5 lb racing seats ... then we'll have a car that will smoke any competition period.

Let's all hope they go through with it for sure .....

 

wouldnt this put the slr performance to shame?

 

LOL, good observation.

 

With all the company's problems , they sure are investing a lot of time and energy in " competing with themselves " in their own SL line .. SL 600, SL 55 , SL 65, SL lightweight . The resale for the guy who just plunked down $200K for a 65 (" the ultimate SL "..... for a few months , lol ) will plummet even more than was expected . Not a good way to engender customer love.

 

Endearing customer love? Yes that's mercedes' strong point (in a sarcastic voice).

 

Yes, it would probably smoke an SLR if the above modifications were done in the manner that I mentioned before.

Now, a stock SL 65 weighs about 4,473 lbs (not including loading it with all the possible luxury items) according to MBUSA.com, so then.......
4,500 lbs / 604 horsepower = 7.45 lbs per horsepower to carry around

Picture it .... A fully derestricted SL 65, with somewhere between 700 to 850 horsepower and somewhere between 800 to 950 lb/ft of torque depending on how far they take this, then put lightweight panels on the car, lightweight alloy exhaust system, lighten the engine internals, light-weight carbon ceramic brakes with light alloy calipers to reduce unsprung weight, light-weight alloys for suspension/chassis, much much wider tires for greater traction, enhanced LSD installed, super light weight racing seats installed, all convertible hydraulic and electrical systems taken out, many of the luxury items taken out, dedicated coupe with lightweight top structure and carbon hood, trunk lid, maybe more, most of the sound deadening material taken out of the car, etc.. etc... now you've dropped what? 500 lbs? 1000 lbs?

If we only drop 500 lbs, and upgrade the horsepower to only 700, then...
4,000 lbs / 700 horsepower = 5.71 lbs per horsepower to carry around !!!!

If we drop 1,000 lbs, and keep the horsepower at 700, then

3,500 lbs / 700 horsepower = 5.00 lbs per horsepower !!! Wow!!

Now if they can drop it to 3,500 lbs and get the horsepower to 750, then ....

3,500 lbs / 750 = 4.67 lbs per horsepower !! Incredible !!! And if the HP is 750 then you know the torque would be atleast 850 to 900, so then we'd have

3,500 lbs / 850 lb/sq. ft. of torque = 4.12 lbs to carry around for every lb/ft of torque !!! :v :p

They could easily thus go from 7.45 lbs per HP to 5.00 lbs per HP .... Let's all hope they can even come relatively close to these kinds of upgrades .... the car will be absolutely untouchable to say the least..... :v

 

How do you propose getting that power to a rear wheel drive street car without needing 400 mm wide tires and changing the broken slushbox and drive shfts every few days ? It would just produce smoked tires at lower speeds or if on an autobahn, who will even know or ever challenge more than once - as it's hard to notice the difference as you pull away reaching 200 mph whether 5 or 30 seconds sooner , since you are just " gone " to the horizon relative to other cars .

 

those lightweight AMG seats would be first on the list....easily lose 100-200 lbs.

T

 

They would need either superwide tires or AWD

AWD might be heavy, but it would solve almost all the traction issues.


Or just super wide tires .... Michelin now has a tire in the super gigantic size of 365/30 ZR-21 ..... The aspect ratio might be 365/25 or 365/35 but whatever ... the point is it's out there and it's a run flat also ...


As far as the transmission, they would need to obviously dump the 5-Speed auto and go for either some kind of racing 6-speed sequential trans, like in the new Gemballa twin-turbo Carrera GT Evolution Mirage, or a manual .... but the sequential trans with F1 shifters would be faster with todays technological advances .. .and they should most definitely put in a "Launch Control" button like in the 575M ... so that the car would automatically set in all the perfect parameters for the fastest and best launch/acceleration, such as perfect engine revs, etc.. and thus the owner could click off perfect take-offs all day long with almost no errors. :v :p

And who knows, maybe dropping all the unnecessary luxury gizmos and hydraulic & electronic gear and heavy seats, etc... could off-set the price of the other upgrades considerably ..... If Benz is smart they'll keep the price of this "Super" or "CSL" SL 65 or SL 69 to under $180,000.

 

I have to wonder how much MB can lighten the SL until it is no MB no more. Some guy above mentioned ripping out all the sound-insulation, the seats and what not. I`m wondering how much MB is willing to sacrifice safety, comfort etc for sheer agility/performance. I think of the SLR when performance/comfort is mazimized by `Benz and look how that car has been received. Mixed bag to say the least.
I have really looked forward to this though, that MB has taken a more focused approach for once, but i have to wonder how this focus mixes with MBs principles and values.

 

AWD is the future.

Man, screw the SLR, it was a failure. A real supercar is one in which kids look up to you and say they want that. No one does that.

I can't believe they are actually doing this!

 

the descriptions of the supercar are inded interestng, but when do you cross the line with a custom race car completely devoid of the features most of us bought our sl's for.

 

....and don't forget..........with all this HP it takes some driving ability to handle it. Which, based on what I've seen....needs some help. I've seen well driven VW gti's smoke 911 turbos at the track. I have absolutely humiliated Porsches, Ferraris, etc with my little derestricted SL55 on windy roads and the track. I've said it before.........everyone of these cars should come with a serious driver's school. You can have all the HP you want...........if you are clueless...you will either die or just not get all the performance out of your car.

 

I think they are WAY off... They are confusing this with the release of the 2007 SL63..

I think that MB will stop making the SL65 and have just the SL63.. it may end up being a "lightweight" version.



Think about it, why have the SL65 when you have the SL63?

I hope the new SL hammers the SLR performancewise, then I can get one dirt cheap on the used market

 

AWD on an a GT Roadster Convertible? Man, you must have been smokin'.

Know your classics!

 

Use what ever tranny LPE has been using in its 8 Second TT Corvettes.



AWD Is not the future, unless the future is full of boring non sideways cars.

 

Tandan: Exactly. Or maybe they should launch another car which doesn`t confuse the SL-customers. Oh, wait. They already have. It`s called the SLR.

 

Lamborghini Murcie
It handles like a dream!

sprins: Since I'm relatively one of the youngest on this forum, I'm not required to know of any cars older than two months old!

 

I could see them using a hardtop and light weight engine parts as well as panels, but they will never gut the seats, when people or at least me, when I think of a top end super fast super nice benz, I think of the 200 pound seats that heat cool conform and massage me while I drive, and I'd personally rather be heated cooled and massaged while driving rather than having a second off a 1/4 mile, but with a better 6speed tranny, lighted brakes, lighted panels, and engine I could easily see it beating down everything in sight; for forget awd, fat tires, rwd and better lsd will be just about the same thing

 

But when you get a higher lockup on a LSD, you sacrifice street driveability.

 

Exactly, and there lies the problem. Sacrifice everyday-driving practicability for a more focused car, or trie to chisel out an Lotus Elise from the body of an SL. No can do i`d say.

But this discussion is really interesting. What is AMG? What will AMG stand for in the future? What is AMG for different folks? An M with a star or a star-adorned car with an enormous engine?

Interesting.

 

It dosen't sound like a common mercedes, MB allways make sportcars filled with luxury, the gangsta-chrome-rim-sh*t is changing the future

 

I was thinking about 1 million horse power and 6 pounds but the nuclear reactor and the helium balloons just arent pretty.

I dont know if this is common knowledge but nuclear submarines have horsepower in the 6 digits to 7 digits. The tailshaft at full throttle has 360 degrees of torsion in it.

 

360 degrees? Wow, i didn`t know that.