People like Timo Nordheim have been embellishing the Mercedes-Benz SL story since the early 1990s, piping habanero sauce into dishes that you would never expect to blow your head off.
As engine builders at Mercedes-AMG, for them it’s all part of a day’s work. Nordheim and his many forebears have been behind the rortiest, the most unhinged (hello, Black Series) and occasionally the most sublime SLs, as was the case when the debonair R129 was loaded with the 518bhp 7.3-litre V12 that AMG later supplied to Pagani.
There has been so much to love, and yet in SL lore AMG was never more than a mere flavour. Then, last year, big changes.
The launch of the R232 SL signalled to the world that custodianship of the model name, not to mention the engineering programme, had been transferred away from the mother ship to Timo’s lot.
That’s right: the aristocratic old SL given to potty-mouthed AMG. It’s like leaving your angelic grandma in the care of Noel Gallagher. Which, in fairness, could be hilarious.
It means Nordheim and co will no longer be external contractors roped in to amp up the SL ad hoc. Their work will be fundamental to every SL built, and now the Mercedes-AMG SL 55 suddenly has an even more pressurised expectation to square up to the class benchmark: the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet.
But which one is best? Read on to find out...
Quick links: Powertrains - Interior - Driving dynamics - Verdict - Winner
AMG versions of this long-snouted grand tourer will no longer be soft-bellied, Sindelfingen-made machines tickled around the chassis, stuffed with V8 muscle and sent out to dice with more bespoke-built prize fighters from other makes.
Instead, in a radical overhaul of the famous model’s ethos, they will be conceived and developed from the ground up in Affalterbach, meaning that AMG is no longer just a flavour of SL but instead the flavour of SL. It’s a full personality transplant, aimed at turning the SL from topless grand tourer into the drop-top sports-cum-supercar, in the process making the AMG GT Roadster redundant.
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Why would someone not buy a Porsche at this price position in the market, they would only do so because they really don't like something about them. TBH, I've never known any Porsche to lose a group test whenever it has been put against a competing car of a similar price and nature, and I'm talking back in the day in the magazines.
So.... I am fortunate enough to own both an older 911 Turbo and the new SL 63 AMG. I am in my 60's. I love Porsche's and also have a Taycan Turbo which I will never part with. But.....truth be told, the SL and the 911 are two very different cars. As a younger man I would take the Porsche all day long over the MB. But, after 40+ years of driving, I am now experienced to know that neither of these cars will come within a lightyear of being able to be driven to their potential. Ain't happening on American roads. And, even with spirited,(and a little illegal) driving, they both handle and accelerate at the upper limits of what is sanely possible. The MB is a far superior cruiser and far more long distance comfortable - full stop. Not an opinion, a fact, with copious sound metering and testing. That all said, for me at this point in my life, it is the MB over the Porsche - for ride comfort, build quality, tech, reliability and costs of ownership - MB over Porsche. Resale is higher in the Porsche - but so is the Porsche Turbo MSRP - by over $50K! And over the lifetime of the car, MB maintenance is LESS THAN Porsche. Porsche does not offer pre-paid maintenance as MB does, which is an absolute steal for those who keep their cars for years. MB's are not cheap to maintain, but at least you can control future maintenance costs to a degree. Both great cars, only one is a GT (SL 63 AMG), and the other, which is billed as an everyday driver but is really a high performance supercar (Porsche 911 GTS or Turbo). The MB is the clear choice for mature discerning drivers who want impressive performance and infrequent trips to the chiropractor.
Cheaper , faster, lighter as well,yes, the Porsche beats the Mercian these areas, it's a matter of choice really, what you prefer.