Automotive World

Behind that mismatched front bumper are the same hardware upgrades found on the C63 AMG Coupe Black Series, and which include a modified 6.2-liter V8 engine pushing out 517HP and 620 Nm (457 lb-ft) of peak torque, an increase of 60HP and 20Nm over the regular model.

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.

Now, the Stuttgart-based automaker is getting ready to bring the shooting brake category into the limelight with a new variant of the second generation of the CLS.

The company not only acknowledged the production of the Shooting Brake model a few months after the presentation of a concept study at the Auto China motorshow in 2010, but even announced that sales will start in 2012.