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    The Mercedes R231 SL
    The Mercedes R231 SL
    The Mercedes R231 SL
    Ebook146 pages51 minutes

    The Mercedes R231 SL

    By Bernd S. Koehling

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    About this ebook

    The Mercedes-Benz SL R231, launched in early 2012, is the newest edition to a sports car tradition that started in the mid-1950s. Occasionally called the luxury, but not anymore the light sports car, this newest entry makes you forget about some sporting deficiencies that haunted some of the predecessors.

    This e-book is one of 22 Mercedes-Benz e-books by Bernd S. Koehling and these are some of the topics covered:
    - development of the R231
    - new aluminum body
    - safety and convenience features
    - revised six and eight cylinder engines
    - exciting AMG models SL63 and SL65
    - Special Edition models such as the Edition 1 and SL 65 45th Anniversary
    - how does the SL500 compare against the BMW 650i Cabrio
    - technical specifications and
    - power and torque curves

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBernd S. Koehling
    Release dateMay 9, 2012
    ISBN9781476039923
    The Mercedes R231 SL
    Author

    Bernd S. Koehling

    With over 25 books and e-books written about Mercedes-Benz cars, Bernd S. Koehling has proven to be an authority on the brand. Those books cover cars from the 1947 170V to the 2012 SL R231. Bernd has been involved in the Mercedes scene since the early 1970s, when he restored his first 170 Cabrio B. Since then he has not only owned many classic Mercedes including a 220S, 300d Adenauer, 200D, 250SE, 280SE coupe 3.5, 300SEL, 350SL, 280E, 450SE, SLK230, he has also gained a wealth of knowledge and experience, which he shares with his readers in his books. Bernd has always considered Mercedes one of his favorite car manufacturers and has driven almost all Mercedes models built since the 1950s. His other weakness revolves around British cars, here especially Jaguar and Alvis. If you would like to know more about Bernd's books or want to read his blog with selected Mercedes stories, why don't you visit his website: benz-books.com

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      Book preview

      The Mercedes R231 SL - Bernd S. Koehling

      MERCEDES - BENZ

      The Mercedes R231

      From the SL350 to the SL65 AMG

      2012 –

      By Bernd S. Koehling

      Smashwords Edition

      Copyright 2013 Bernd S. Koehling

      All rights reserved

      CONTENT

      Foreword

      The Cars

      SL350, SL500/550, SL63, SL65 AMG R231 (2012 –)

      History of the vario-roof

      An aluminum body for a slightly revised design

      Technical aspects

      Larger and high quality interior

      Safety and convenience features

      Prices and Edition 1 model

      What are the alternatives to the new SL

      SL63 AMG

      Engine and other technical goodies

      Body and interior

      SL65 AMG

      A new seven-speed transmission

      Body and interior

      45th Anniversary Edition

      Technical chapters

      Technical specifications

      Performance data

      Power and torque curves

      About the author

      Other books by the author

      Free book offer

      FOREWORD

      First, I would like to thank you for having purchased this book. I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. This book covers the new SL R231 with all its presently known variations, AMG versions such as the SL63 and SL65 included.

      When Dr. Zetsche, CEO of Daimler-Benz, presented the car to the public, he mentioned that there are just a few cars around that are regarded as icons and that the SL is one of them. When the first SL was launched in 1952, nobody envisioned that the name SL would develop into one of the better known household names in the world. The first street-going version of that car, the famous Gullwing, cemented the importance of that name. Today its owners rarely dare to drive them, as their insurance value is too high. They sold in small numbers only to the rich and famous and although marketing and public relation want us to believe otherwise, no modern SL, no matter its technical qualities, will ever be able to compare favorably with that true icon.

      Nevertheless they do carry the same name and that implies a certain burden. A burden, the Daimler-Benz engineers have over the past decades been able to shoulder, as so far every new SL was a car that was able to live in the tradition of a breed that exists, as many journalists and car aficionados see it, in a class of its own.

      When the R230 was introduced in 2001, it was applauded for its technical and safety innovations. Nevertheless, many lamented at that time that its predecessor, the R129 was the last real SL. The new R231, the sixth generation in 60 years, is the first SL that is with its design not too different from its direct predecessor, the face-lifted 2008 R230. This bears a certain risk and the internet is already full of remarks that it is no match with the beautiful R230. You could almost copy the comments from 2001 and paste them into the discussions that take place on the internet in 2012 and early 2013.

      Once people have taken a seat in the new SL and have actually driven it, their voices will quickly switch from criticizing the design to applauding the superb overall package, the R231 has to offer. The latest addition to the iconic SL name is in this respect a true member of the family and the author will not be surprised, if it will be also sales wise at the end at least at par with its two predecessors.

      August 2013

      Bernd S. Koehling

      Mercedes-Benz R 231 series (2012-)

      There are around 900 million cars in the world and thousands of models. But there are only a handful of automotive icons. Our SL is one of them: it has class, it has style, it is the ultimate in comfort and luxury. But it combines all that with incredible sportiness and dynamism. You would struggle to find a car that embodies Gottlieb Daimler's aspiration more perfectly than our new SL: the best or nothing. These were the words, Dr Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars used, when the car was first shown in mid-December 2011. This is the sixth generation carrying the iconic SL name, if one does not take into account the 190SL, which Daimler-AG does not do. Each generation lasted on average some 11.5 years and each of them had managed to set the technical benchmarks for its time, the very first one even in both: design and technology. This last version

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