When thinking about sports cars and supercars, Mercedes-Benz is usually not the first name that comes to mind. The German brand is usually linked to luxury cars, Formula One and DTM race cars. However, the Stuttgart-based automaker has been meddling with the concept since the late 1920s, when the SSK was launched; a two-seater designed by Ferdinand Porsche himself. The Mercedes-badged sports car made a comeback in 1955 with the iconic 300 SL "Gullwing" and the Uhlenhaut Coupe. The latter was based on the W196 race car and at the time of its appearance - no official launch took place - was regarded as the world's fastest car. Mercedes built a handful of concepts from the 1970s through the 1990s, but it didn't offer a production supercar until 2003, when the SLR McLaren debuted.
Jointly developed with McLaren Automotive, the modern-day SLR was powered by a supercharged, 5.5-liter V-8 that made an amazing 617 horsepower. It had a top speed of 211 mph and it was awfully quick in a straight line, needing just over three second to reach 60 mph from a standing start. Retired in 2010, the SRL McLaren was replaced by another spectacular sports car, this time carrying the SLS AMG moniker.
While the McLaren-developed SLR was meant to be the spiritual successor of the classic SLR, the SLS AMG, the first in-house designed car from AMG, paid tribute to the 300 SL "Gullwing." Unlike the SLR, the SLS hid a naturally aspirated, 6.3-liter V-8 plant under its hood, with output ranging from 571 to 622 ponies. The exotic, gullwinged sports car remained in production until 2014, when the brand-new AMG GT replaced it as Mercedes' halo sports car.
The new vehicle also marked the beginning of a new era for the Germans, who are no longer competing in the super-GT market, but are gunning for the lighter and smaller sports cars of the industry such as the Porsche 911. That being said, although the Mercedes-AMG GT is considered a successor to the SLS AMG, the two cars are in fact very different. How different, you ask? Well, you'll have to read on to find out what sets the SLS AMG and the AMG GT apart. We have a full comparisons by the numbers to help you spot the differences.
Click past the jump for the full details.
Mercedes SLS AMG Vs. Mercedes-AMG GT originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 10 October 2014 11:00 EST.
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