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Mercedes SLS AMG Somehow Makes a Good-Looking Ute

Thanks to popular television shows like Top Gear, Australian cars with large V8 engines became famous all over the world. But that was a couple of years ago, and the reality of today is that the utes and all the special sports sedans are gone.
Mercedes SLS AMG Somehow Makes a Good-Looking Ute 4 photos
Photo: TheSketchMonkey/YouTube screenshot
Mercedes SLS AMG Somehow Makes a Good-Looking UteMercedes SLS AMG Somehow Makes a Good-Looking UteMercedes SLS AMG Somehow Makes a Good-Looking Ute
Holden is officially closed for business right now, and if you want one of those awesome pickup trucks with the big V8 engines in them, you're going to have to get it from a guy who already ones one.

That's fine for most people, as Australian utes were never a mass-market product. But every couple of years, the automotive world goes ute-crazy and tries to justify pickups that don't exist, especially ones from luxury brands.

Today, we're going to do the same by presenting a rendering for an SLS AMG Ute. This car is easily one of our favorite Mercedes models of all time. And like all AMG models, it's always got a raw feel to it that's unique in the German landscape.

Audi and BMW make V8 engines, sure, but for many years, AMG was the one-stop-shop for V8s that could rival a Chevy Small Block in displacement while outgunning it in power.

And since a SLS AMG has a 6.2-liter with 571 horsepower that makes you go "yeehaw, giddy up little pony" it's perfect for a ute makeover. TheSketchMonkey does that with a silver SLS, and immediately after moving the cab forward a little, it starts looking like a productive member of society, not a toy for rich people.

The artist argues that if you have a ute, you kind of want the front to be the part that's stylish while the back is all about practicality. Is that like a mullet or a reverse mullet? It depends on your perspective.

But we cannot forget that the SLS is also technically mid-engined. Yes, the hand-build V8 is in front of the driver, but most of it sits behind the front axle, and that's usually not a priority for a ute.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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