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Originally Posted by kstarnes
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Above is an artist's rendering.
" It seems we'll have to add a new Mercedes chassis type to our Research Database to accommodate Mercedes-Benz' reprise of the legendary "Gullwing." It has been reported that chassis type "W197" has been assigned to a new sportscar equipped with gullwing doors.
Test mules have been spotted during hot weather testing on California's desert backloads. The fact this test hack looks remarkably like a cobbled up Dodge Viper reveals Mercedes is getting more creative disguising its development prototypes. The Viper connection is certainly connected to the recently terminated Daimler-Chrysler merger.
Slated to be assembled in Sindlefingen and developed by AMG, Mercedes expects to produce between 3,000 and 5,000 units annually. Interestingly, the information we received notes the car will be constructed using a tubular space frame and retaining the traditional front engine/rear-wheel drive layout.
Power will likely come from an uprated version of the current AMG derived 6.3 liter V-8 producing 620hp. Prices are rumored to be in the $250k range.
If all of the above is true and the final version emerges close to the artist's rendering (above), expect this new car to crush used SLR values. This car seems to be all that the SLR should have been at roughly 56% the cost!