Mercedes-Benz SL goes on a diet

Sixty years after it first hit the road, the new Mercedes-Benz SL Roadster has rolled into Dubai, leaner and meaner.

The sixth generation of the popular sports car has been on a bit of a diet – shedding a remarkable 140kg.

The dramatic drop is because the car’s bodyshell is now made entirely out of aluminium rather than steel.

The SL is available in three engine variants, the SL 350, SL 500 and SL 63 AMG.

Wassim Derbi, marketing manager at Mercedes-Benz dealer Gargash Enterprises, said the design of the new SL is a blend of the “latest technological innovations” with the car’s “proud heritage”.

Derbi said: "The appeal of the new SL to our driving purist customers is clear. Powerful while accelerating, effortlessly superior across all speeds and nimble on winding roads – the new SL provides no end to driving pleasures.”

The car is 12 per cent more powerful than the previous model, with the new V8 engine in the SL 500 developing 435bhp despite and the 3.5l V6 in the SL 350 producing 268bhp.

The roof can be retracted in less than 20 seconds.