It is powered by a 6.2 liter naturally aspirated V8 with 571PS (420 kW) and 650Nm (479 lb-ft) of torque. It is mated to the AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed sports gearbox, which shifts in as little as 100 milliseconds. There are also four different driving modes: “C” (Controlled Efficiency), ”S” (Sport), “S+” (Sport plus) or “M” (Manual).

0-100 km/h in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 317 km/h (197 mph). The kerb weight is 1661 kg (3661 lbs).

In Sport Auto’s performance test at Germany’s Hockenheimring the SLS AMG Roadster impressed with a lap time of 1:11.6 minutes as compared to other drop top types (except SL65 Black Series):

– Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet 1:11.9 min
– Mercedes SL 65 AMG Black Series 1:12.2 min
– Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI quattro 1:12.7 min
– Mercedes SLR McLaren 1:13.5 min
– Ferrari California 1:13.5 min
– Aston Martin DBS Volante 1:14.8 min