2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS Roadster Gullwing

Mercedes Gullwing supercar loses its trademark doors and roof, transforming into a ragtop roadster with just regular doors. If that’s not enough, AMG has said it will weigh the same as the coupe but will feature a lower center of gravity.Just as the coupe verision it will have a 6.2-liter V-8 (563 horsepower, 479 pound-feet of torque) connected to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. When it appears in spring 2011, expect it to cost about $250,000.

2011 AMG Gullwing

Mercedes-Benz and its performance divisions AMG and HWA are working on a host of new sports cars with a number of prototypes already spotted testing at both the Nurburgring and America’s Death Valley. Yesterday, spy images of a new Black Series version of the facelifted SL surfaced and last month images of another prototype dubbed the SLC turned up. We now have new renderings of a third Mercedes sports car said to be in development, a gull-winged coupe based on a shortened SL platform described as a spiritual successor to the original 300 SL.

Rumored to hit the streets in 2010 or 2011, the new car will feature an upgraded version of AMG’s hand-built 6.2L V8 with power levels in excess of 600hp. The car is being developed internally by Mercedes and AMG engineers and production numbers are expected to range between 3,000 and 5,000 units per year.

Although the gull-wing doors draw obvious styling cues from the original model from the 1950s, the new car won’t be shamelessly retro. As these renderings suggest, the car will feature a sleek, aerodynamic body, circular headlights and SLR-style side vents.