Photo: Mercedes Enthusiast
The fifth and sixth generations of the Mercedes-Benz SL are probably the most similar and yet the most different two roadsters in the “Sport Leicht” lineage, which spawns almost six decades.
When it was launched in 2001, the R230 generation of the SL was the first big roadster from Mercedes-Benz to come with a retractable hardtop, which is now one of the features which makes it similar to the current R231 generation.
Other similarities reside in the profile and rear design of the two models, which almost look like they are facelifts of the same car from certain angles.
That and their nomenclature is where the similarities end, though, because the SL R231 is completely different from almost any point of view.
For example, the two examples in the image above even share the same name – Mercedes-Benz SL 63 AMG, despite neither of them sporting a 6.3-liter engine.
Underneath the bodywork is where their roads are completely parallel instead of intersecting each other, with the current R231 having a somewhat lightweight aluminium body instead of steel, while its engine is a 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8 instead of the epic 6.2-liter V8 of its predecessor.
To compare them is like deciding between having your Martini shaken or stirred, and even James Bond has favored either of them at some points in time.
Other similarities reside in the profile and rear design of the two models, which almost look like they are facelifts of the same car from certain angles.
That and their nomenclature is where the similarities end, though, because the SL R231 is completely different from almost any point of view.
For example, the two examples in the image above even share the same name – Mercedes-Benz SL 63 AMG, despite neither of them sporting a 6.3-liter engine.
Underneath the bodywork is where their roads are completely parallel instead of intersecting each other, with the current R231 having a somewhat lightweight aluminium body instead of steel, while its engine is a 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8 instead of the epic 6.2-liter V8 of its predecessor.
To compare them is like deciding between having your Martini shaken or stirred, and even James Bond has favored either of them at some points in time.
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