Choson1

i think the SL is a terrific car, but IMO, it was made about 1000 pounds too heavy. maybe if they came out with a carbon fiber folding hardtop to replace the steel one, you could shave a couple hundred pounds off this badboy. also, removing weight from the top of the car would lower the center of gravity as well. i think the handling, acceleration, braking, mileage, etc would all improve with a mod like this. any thoughts?

drunkenoldman

Saftey? CF shatters. Maybe Aluminum.

Juice it

I don't think the top weighs all that much anyway, certainly not hundreds of pounds. When it is folded up in the trunk and you hit that button to move it out of the way it doesn't seem like it is pushing that much weight.

sundownz

The BMW M6 has a carbon fiber roof on it, there must be some sort of solution to the safety issue or I don't think BMW would have done so. This helps the M6 actually weight a little over 100 pounds under the M5.

I have also heard, but have not been able to confirm, that Porsche uses a kevlar layer behind their CF body parts to prevent splintering from hurting the occupants.

I'm a big fan of aftermarket CF panels for weight savings; a CF retractable hard top would be amazing!

Choson1

great points. also, cars like the carrera gt and enzo have bodies made entirely of CF. you can actually see the CF in the inside of the door panels, footwells, etc. so, i don't think CF shattering would really a safety issue, otherwise they wouldn't use it to surround occupants in production cars. hell, they even make car wheels out of CF now.

HLG600

MB SL's come with excellent roll bars. I am not sure about the R230, but the R129 SL windshield frames are designed to support the weight of the car in the unlikely event of a roll over. If that applies to the R230 as well, then a CF retractable top might be a good idea. Only downside would be the cost to replace it.

Choson1, that's a nice a 645, I'm lovin' those wheels.

elbowyeish

that's a good idea. i think MB should've thought about more ways to shave some weight off of the SL's. the car would be so much faster overall if they went with CF here and there. besides the engine, MB is still far behind in terms of cutting edge technology and basic functionality of the car IMO, but everyone knows that. but oh well, we still buy them and love it. LOL

vraa

The SL was never meant to be a racer. Maybe if they made a AMG version that was straight hardcore seeing how the 600 and the current 55 are so close to each other in pretty much.. oh everything.

BTW: What do you mean basic functionality in the SL is less than other cars. The SC430 is the only car before (not including R170) the R230 that had a folding hardtop. Last time I checked, the R230 had active cruise control, keyless go, and a few other small goodies.

Some things that would be fantastic would be bluetooth with the car, a harddisk based updateable touch screen navigation system and some better massaging seats hah.

elbowyeish

haha exactly! i just think MB was really late getting into things like DVD based navigation, touch screens, needs bluetooth, real-time traffic, in-dash espresso maker, foot massage, broadband internet and cable tv, etc etc. i want it all in my car damn it! hehe.

vraa

I like the way you think. Man I wouldn't mind a sponge batch from some five star models

240Volts

Not sure about the US but in Europe AMG are building a track oriented SLK55 with the roof fixed in place and all the mechanical gubbins removed...

Scruffyone

If it turns out really good then it will not come to the states.

Kev04C320

The SLK55 Black Edition is definitely coming to US according to an inside source