Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster Revealed By Drawings

The new media is developing some wonderful informational back road, that often bring pieces of news much sooner than automotive manufacturers intend to release. This is the case of the Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster, a highly anticipated supercar that has partially been revealed through a set of leaked European patent office drawings, surfaced by Auto Bild.

Judging by the images, we can say that the car sees to be using a soft top, a feature that would allow it to keep the weight down and thus offer comparable performance to the coupe version. While the latter tips the scale at 3,571 pounds, the roadster is expected to gain around 250 pounds.

Although the German manufacturer previously said that the car will be a SLS with no roof, indicating that the cars will be almost identical, rumors show that the Roadster will be a follower of the downsizing trend. If this is true, the car won’t use the coupe’s 571 HP and 480 lb-ft of torque naturally aspirated V8 unit but the upcoming twin turbocharged 5.5 liter V8 engine. The latter will debut on the S63 AMG and will develop up to 571 HP and 664 lb-ft of torque.

The car is also expected to have an electric nonidentical version (the same goes for the Coupe version). This would be powered by four electric motors that should offer a combined output of 525 HP and a maximum torque of 650 lb-ft.

The SLS AMG Roadster is expected to enter U.S. and European markets sometime during next year and retail for a slightly higher price than the coupe version.