Security Deposit:           1500€
Transmission:                Automatic
Seats:                              5
Engine:                            5-liter, petrol
0-60mph in:                    6 sec
MSRP:                             $75.000
Horse Power:                 429

It’s nearly 60 years since the first Mercedes SL was introduced. The name stands for ‘Sports Lightweight’, yet as successive generations have piled on the pounds, the car has become more of a large and luxurious grand tourer.

Now there’s an all-new SL, and behind the conservative styling you’ll find a state-of-the-art aluminium bodyshell. And at 1,785kg, it’s 125kg lighter than the model it replaces.

We drove the SL500, which will be the most powerful version until the SL63 AMG arrives. It has a twin-turbocharged 4.7-litre V8 that produces 429bhp. That’s 49bhp more than the old SL500, yet fuel consumption has been reduced by 22 per cent, to 31mpg. The entry-level SL350, which has a 3.5-litre V6, does even better – making 302bhp while returning 41.5mpg.