Thanks to an Australian auto website called CarPoint, the first undisguised images of the new Mercedes-Benz SLS supercar have been brought to light. And…um…
Listen, Mercedes guys, can we have a word?
I know you guys want to make a distinctive looking sports car that honors your heritage while simultaneously gives you a halo model to stack up against the best of the world. I get that. You want the car to resemble its predecessor, the old Gullwing, while still looking modern.
The old Gullwing.
The new Gullwing.
But you shouldn’t sacrifice beauty for the sake of some “design theme.”
This car’s exterior is trying to be so many things, it doesn’t look good. The Audi R8 didn’t become the automotive equivalent of The Hangover just by being distinctive and fun to drive. It came out of nowhere and became a hit because it was fun to drive – and it looked good.
This new SLS just looks weird. Dear God – what’s with those B-pillars? They look like they came off an old Viper RT/10! And what’s with that slanted rear deck or those tiny tail lamps? Okay, the front doesn’t look bad, but if you want to make a fast car, it better look good from the rear, too – ’cause that’s the direction most people are gonna see it from.
I’d been hoping this would become one of my personal “lottery cars” – you know, a car you’d buy if you won the Mega Millions and had, say, a million bucks to stock your garage. But it looks like I’ll still be grappling with the same two contenders as before in this price range. Audi R8 5.2, or Porsche 911 Turbo?
Epilogue: To illustrate our broken dreams, here’s a collection of renditions of what various artists thought the new Gullwing should have looked like. To each their own…but I think I like all these designs more than the real one. At least for the moment.
2 Comments
08/11/2009 at 11:02 pm
can i get one for free please lol
21/11/2009 at 12:32 pm
Its a lovely, jagmerviperlac. It’s not a mercedes gullwing. Some styling cues borrowed and implemented poorly. Lottery car…I will stick with the original gullwing. It flowed from front to rear, this looks like a dozen different cars glued together.