Mercedes teases a new SL before its LA Auto Show debut
The brand's biggest drop-top gets a brand new face for its mid-cycle refresh.
The Mercedes-Benz SL-Class has been around since 1954, when the automaker debuted the gullwing-door 300 SL. Over six generations, Merc's flagship coupe has been revised over and over, and we're about to feast our eyes on yet another alteration in the car's design. The Stuttgart-based company couldn't keep its excitement under lock and key, so it's dropped a teaser before the car's debut at next week's Los Angeles Auto Show.
The only picture released is a dark one, and it only shows the front end, but there's plenty of information in that single shot (click on it above to enlarge). Mercedes has once again altered the SL's headlights, bringing it in line with the brand's other new vehicles, including the S-Class Coupe, C-Class and the AMG GT sports car.
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The grille and air intakes have been revised, as well, featuring the "diamond" pattern seen on the S-Class coupe and A-Class hatchback (the US doesn't get the latter). The hood looks like it's received a couple tweaks, as well. As one would expect, the Mercedes logo is as prominent as ever. Bear in mind, this is just a mid-cycle facelift, so don't expect too many radical changes beyond aesthetics.
Mercedes is changing its taxonomic structure around a bit, but the SL's nameplate is here to stay. It should be the SLS, as all roadsters now start with SL, followed by a letter that denotes the vehicle's position in the lineup. However, SLS was already used on an earlier sports car, and Mercedes deemed the name's heritage worthy of bypassing any additional badging changes.
The automaker's LA Auto Show press conference takes place on Wednesday, November 18, from 12:05 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. PT.