The 21st century Mercedes Gullwing - but will it really make your heart flutter?

Updated: 16:00 EST, 9 October 2010

History buffs sometimes play a game: if you could visit any year in the past, which would it be?

For me it’s easy. There’s no way I’m putting on tights or any kind of smock, and I’d need to go somewhere you can get a decent burger. So for me, it has to be 1955.

I know the Fifties weren’t the golden age they’re sometimes painted, but 1955 must have been good. Rationing had ended. Stalin was dead. Churchill was alive. Little Richard and Chuck Berry were blazing a trail for Elvis, and Marilyn Monroe filmed that scene where her skirt gets blown up by the subway vent. Fun, eh? 

The point of the game is to say which historical event you’d witness, but for me the point would be to see the best cars in history. James Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder was a wonderful thing (until he crashed it).

The Pininfarina-designed 750 Monza was the first truly beautiful Ferrari. Maserati’s 250F racer was brilliant in the hands of Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss – but in 1955, Fangio and Moss were both driving for Mercedes. I’d give my right arm to see those two working together at the height of their powers. 

Moss won the 1955 British Grand Prix a fifth of a second ahead of Fangio, who he suspected let him pass at the last corner so he could win in front of a home crowd. Fangio denied it, like a gent. It was more clear-cut at that year’s Mille Miglia race, where Moss won half an hour ahead of Fangio. The car Moss drove there, Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR number 722 (for its 7.22am start time in the race), is now said to be the most valuable car in the world.

Almost as awe-inspiring in those days was the 300 SL Gullwing, which used the same brand new fuel-injection and weight-saving technology as the SLR to achieve a mind-blowing top speed of 160mph, the fastest production car on Earth.

For this they charged $11,000 in America, meaning only the rich and famous could have one and ensuring Mercedes was a premium brand from then on. Clark Gable had one, Sophia Loren had one – and, 50 years later, so did a lad from Yorkshire. 

Yes, I once had a Gullwing. It wasn’t cheap and before long I sold it back to Mercedes for its heritage collection. But it’s still probably the best car I’ve had.

And now Mercedes has built a modern version. The SLS AMG has the same gullwing doors as the 1955 classic, it’s again the fastest thing Mercedes makes, and again the most expensive. But is it the most beautiful?

I don’t think so. Yes, it’s striking and with the doors up you’ll have people crowding around you like you’re Lewis Hamilton. But to me, it’s too big. 

The bonnet is the size of a tennis court – I know, because I washed it. It needs to be big because underneath is a monster 6.3-litre V8 that produces more power than you’ll ever need. The top speed has to be limited to 197mph; 0-60 is quicker than 3.8 seconds. In short, it’s a supercar.

Like the old Gullwing, there are innovations. It’s the first Mercedes to have an all-aluminium chassis, the first to have a carbon-fibre driveshaft and the first to be built, rather than adapted, by in-house tuners AMG.

There’s no denying it’s a brilliant feat of German engineering and a massive thrill to drive at speed. The sound is a work of art, with a burble at idle, a furious roar on the attack and a fiery crackle as you lift off the throttle. But there are flaws.

First of all is the price of the ‘extras’. Check this out: carbon-fibre interior package, £6,000. Carbon-fibre mirrors, £1,000. Ceramic brakes, £8,000. Paint, up to nearly £9,000.

The Bang & Olufsen sound system in this car, £5,000. The option I wanted, but couldn’t have, was a manual gearbox – as the twin-clutch auto is only really happy when you’re driving fast.

In town it drove me nuts, as I never knew if I was in first or second. It’s just a question of gradually putting your foot down, nothing happens… then bam! It barges forward, shouting. 

Don’t get me wrong, I like aggression, but there’s something scary about the SLS.

The steering is ultra-sharp, but whereas the new Ferrari 458 will flick right and left like a young gazelle being chased by a cheetah, the SLS will only do that if you’re a very good driver – otherwise you get a kicking. Luckily, the seats are designed to hold you in like a straitjacket.

I like the interior a lot, actually. All Mercs feel good inside and this has a lovely dash and plenty of leg room. The passenger sits a surprisingly long way from you and there’s room in the boot for a couple of weekend bags, but not suitcases.

There are height issues, though. If you’re tall, like me, your head will graze the roof, and if you’re short you won’t be able to reach the handle to close the door.

It’s probably sounding like I hate this car. I don’t at all. It’s a pure, uncompromising, loud and proud sports car of the type I love and in any other week I could have lived with its flaws (except the auto box).

But the problem is, I drove the Ferrari 458 just a few weeks previously. And I’m sorry, but that car has set the benchmark higher than ever before.

Even the very best, from one of the world’s best car-makers, can’t match it. So what you’re left with is a great car, but not a classic.

That’s OK, there’s already a gullwinged classic on the books – as my 1955 self would tell you.

TECH SPEC

£157,500, mercedes-benz.co.uk

Engine 6.3-litre V8

Power 571hp

Max torque 650Nm at 4,750rpm

Top speed 197mph

Fuel consumption 21.4mpg

CO2 emissions 308g/km (£435/year tax band)

Transmission AMG Speedshift seven-speed auto

Standard features 19in front/20in rear forged alloys, AMG high-performance brake system with ABS and brake assist, AMG speed-sensitive sports steering and adaptive accelerator pedal, AMG sports suspension, AMG sports exhaust, four-mode ride selector with Race Start function, bi-xenon headlamps with LED running lights, multimedia system with 7in colour sat-nav, two-zone automatic climate control, Parktronic sensors, auto lights and wipers.

Optional extras Reversing camera, AMG ceramic high performance composite brake system, Bang & Olufsen 11-speaker high-performance systems, AMG carbon fibre interior, leather upholstery

Like Ford's new C-Max MPV, the new Seat Alhambra will feature sliding doors. Out next month, the car has been redesigned from the wheels up, and is longer and wider than before, with a bigger boot and two rows of rear seats that fold fully flat with one movement. The hatch is electronically operated and the second-row seats can be positioned sideways. There are three engines, all with stop/start and brake-energy recuperation.

GOING GREENER

Honda is launching the world's first hybrid supermini. On sale early next year, the Jazz Hybrid has the same folding 'Magic Seats' as the standard Jazz and retains up to 831 litres of boot space, but the electric motor under the floor lowers emissions to 104g/km and fuel consumption to 64mpg. It'll cost you nothing in road tax for the first year and just £20 a year thereafter, plus it'll be exempt from the London congestion charge. Prices are yet to be announced. 

FOCUS ON POWER

Ford's big news at the Paris Motor Show is the next-generation Focus ST, on sale in 2012. The new model has a bigger grille, bigger wheels and lower suspension than the soon-to-be-launched standard Focus Mk 3, but the real changes are to the 2.0-litre EcoBoost engine, which will be tuned to produce nearly 250hp. That's ten per cent more power than the current Focus ST, but fuel consumption and CO2 emissions will be cut by a fifth.

By Simon Lewis