Mercedes-AMG is getting ready to let its roofless supercar rival to the McLaren Elva loose.
Based on the latest SL, the PureSpeed ditches the windscreen and folding soft-top roof in favour of an Formula 1-style halo up front, a pair of specially designed helmets in the middle, and flying buttresses in place of the rear seats.
Just 250 examples will be built as part of the ultra-limited Mercedes-Benz Mythos series, with production set to kick off in 2025.
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Mercedes-AMG hasn’t confirmed what will power the car. The hero powertrains in the mainstream SL are a 4.0-litre turbocharged V8 making 430kW and 800Nm, or a plug-in hybrid V8 setup with 600kW and 1080Nm.
The stripped-back nature of the roofless PureSpeed would lend itself to an petrol-only powertrain, however.
Mercedes-AMG says its testing program includes more than 3000km of driving on roads in northern Italy, before heading to the Nardo test track.
Inspiration for the PureSpeed came from the victorious Mercedes-Benz racer in the 1924 Targa Florio, which was painted red like its Italian rivals to “deter local fans from impeding the car’s progress in the race”.
The shark nose is a nod to the AMG One hypercar, while the cabin appears largely unchanged from the SL… aside from the IWC dashboard clock and unique colour scheme.
Mercedes-AMG isn’t alone in taking its more mainstream sports cars and lopping off the roof in search of a steeper sticker price and more exclusivity.
Ferrari has a run of speedster specials, McLaren has the Elva, and Aston Martin has the V12 Speedster.
Elva 
V12 Speedster 
