Automotive World

Over the past year, we scooped the 2013 SL several times and even published photos of its body-in-white that recently made their way onto the web. But now, the Stuttgart-based carmaker has come out in the open, officially revealing a batch of photos and info on its new roadster that will be unveiled before the end of the year.

Though Mercedes doesn’t actually show us the finished product, the company gives us new photos shot during the development phase and more importantly, a detailed insight on some of the new SL’s novel features.

For the first time, the new SL is constructed almost entirely (89%) from aluminum, with the exception of high-strength steel integrated in the A-pillars and the (even lighter than aluminum) magnesium in the rear panel.

Naturally, as we're nearing closer to its debut that will take place at next year's Detroit Auto Show in January, more information is coming out. Earlier this week, German magazine Auto Motor und Sport published a set of what appear to be official pictures of the next SL's body-in-white, along with some very interesting details.

The images suggest that the all-new luxury roadster will retain the familiar SL silhouette while adopting styling cues from other Mercedes models such as the boxy nose that is becoming the brand’s new “face” and the SLK’s “Magic Sky Control” retractable rigid roof.

The current iteration of the SL, codenamed R320, has been in production since 2001 having received two facelifts, one in 2006 and another, more extensive makeover, in 2008.

The next SL will be brand new from the bottom up sporting a new platform architecture while sharing certain key components such as the suspension bits and electrical systems with the SLS AMG.

Sadly, Jobs passed away on October 5 at the age of 56. After his death, one of the rumors circulating the web was that of his car’s number plate – or rather its absence.

Some said that he didn’t care about paying the fines, as he surely could afford to, while others claimed that he had somehow obtained a special permit to drive without one.