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Daniel Langer

This article is part of STYLE’s Luxury Column
There are few cars that have been more defining of a category than the Mercedes SL. From the 1950s through to the 90s, the SL was the epitome of elegant luxury – a design icon not just reflecting the design cues of the time, but defining them.
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The Mercedes-Benz 1956 Gullwing 300 SL is one of the most beautiful and desired cars on the planet, fetching prices of two million dollars and more on auctions. It was one of the most innovative cars of its time and the gullwing doors made it second to none. The appealing roadster defined the design of generations of luxury convertibles.
In 1963, the 280 SL, dubbed the Pagode, became another design classic due to its unusual pagoda-shaped roof. In terms of innovation, it boasted four disc-brakes, unlike most other cars. The SL was always not just a design icon, but also a technology hub, ensuring that drivers can have the pride of not just having the most elegant car of its time, but also one of the most advanced.

In the 70s and 80s, the SL became the symbol of success, famously driven by Bobby Ewing in the TV show Dallas. The SL was the car you would drive to underline that you made it. Refinement, status and elegance on wheels.

Over time, the allure of the SL faded dramatically. It morphed from an agile design icon to an oversized and unattractive grand tourer. The decision to go for a hardtop was one of the worst decisions ever in the history of automotive design, rendering the SL into an increasingly ugly duckling. I remember seeing the predecessor of the new SL for the first time some years ago, and asking myself “why?” Why did Mercedes allow the most iconic car to become a caricature and a design failure? Why was elegance replaced with opulence dressed up badly?
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Following the money, it seems like customers also agreed. Sales of the SL plummeted, its desirability at an all-time low. Mercedes left the market of luxury convertibles to BMW, Lexus and Porsche.
But finally, in 2021, the SL is back.

While I doubt that its family look, resembling the AMG-GT, will ever get close to a design icon defining its generation, at least it is the first SL that brings back a stronger focus on aesthetics and contemporary elegance. As an open-air driver and enthusiast, I appreciate the return of the soft-top. The overall looks could convince me to consider the new SL as a future alternative to my Porsche 911 Convertible. The new SL interior is stunning and combines technology with elegance and a futuristic, yet familiar look and feel.

However, I am asking myself: why a V8? We are living in 2021 and, in my opinion, Mercedes lost an opportunity to use the SL to propel itself at the forefront of electric luxury. Launching the “rebirth” of the SL, as Mercedes puts it, with a technology that will soon be obsolete is a missed opportunity. The new SL could have been to Mercedes what Model S was for Tesla. A highly desirable car that redefines the future and brings the brand to the forefront of innovation. It could have been the first electric luxury convertible combining practicality with beauty.

My research has shown that one of the biggest predictors of success in luxury is the ability to influence and innovate – through the eyes of consumers. While the new SL is a change in design and technology from its predecessor, it could have been a generation-defining car if reborn electric. Launching it as a petrol car is playing it safe, which in luxury is never a good strategy.

The genes of the most desired SLs were nested in innovation and influence, leading to cars that changed people’s perception, that inspired them through visceral experiences never seen before, and that made other cars of its time obsolete.
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Hence, while I love that Mercedes has given birth to a beautiful and much improved car, it does not feel like the best that could have been done. And isn’t it the best or nothing that the brand promises? Since you can’t make a first impression twice, it’s a missed opportunity to place Mercedes back at the top of innovation and luxury. Now others may take the charge. Food for thought.
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The new Mercedes AMG-SL model. Photo: @joeyantwi/Twitter

The 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing. Photo: @historydailypix/Twitter

Bobby Ewing posing with a Mercedes-SL. Photo: reezocar.com

The Mercedes 280 SL Pagode. Photo: @bo_giles/Twitter

The new 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL. Photo: @joeyantwi/Twitter

The interior of the new Mercedes-AMG SL. Photo: @joeyantwi/Twitter

The new Mercedes-AMG SL operates using a V8 engine. Photo: @joeyantwi/Twitter

The new Mercedes-AMG SL features a soft-top. Photo: @joeyantwi/Twitter

The Mercedes-AMG SL comes in red and grey. Photo: @AutosOEM/Twitter

Inside Bill Gates’ daughter Jennifer’s wedding to Nayel Nassar: Kim Kardashian’s make-up artist, dinner by Jean-Georges, live music by Coldplay – and no fewer than 3 exquisite Vera Wang dresses

Jennifer Gates’ wedding day. Photo: @verawang/Instagram

Jennifer Katharine Gates, eldest daughter of Melinda and Bill, marries a dapper looking Nayel Nassar surrounded by friends. Photo: @verawang/Instagram

The bride’s Vera Wang wedding gown was in fact one of three made by the New York designer for the event. Photo: @verawang/Instagram

Gates kept her accessories simple on the day, going for a pair of stud earrings and not much else. Photo: @verawang/Instagram

The wedding gown was lined with white hybrid Dutch delphinium flowers. Photo: @verawang/Instagram

After dark, the pair moved festivities to giant, beautifully decorated tents in the grounds of their sprawling equestrian estate. Photo: @verawang/Instagram

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Roshni Malhotra. Photo: @Tyler_Murphy/Twitter

Roshni Malhotra is the daughter of billionaire industrialist Shiv Nadar. Photo: @rroshandotcom/Instagram

Roshni Malhotra was named India’s richest woman. Photo: @officialtwiki/Instagram

Roshni Malhotra and her husband, Shikhar Malhotra. Photo: starsunfolded.com

Roshni Malhotra launched the VidyaGyan initiative in 2009. Photo: @TheRoomGlobal/Twitter

Roshni Malhotra. Photo: @Papa_Tusker/Twitter

Roshni Malhotra and her father, Shiv Nadar. Photo: @rtehrani/Twitter

Inside Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas’ glam yet cosy London home, with a pool and outdoor deck, eye-catching artworks and luxurious couches for pooch Diana to lounge on

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas. Photo: @priyankachopra/Instagram

Priyanka Chopra shared this image of her house decorated with roses. Photo: @priyankachopra/Instagram

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas cosied up together at home. Photo: @priyankachopra/Instagram

Priyanka Chopra can catch the sun on her outdoor deck at her house. Photo: @priyankachopra/Instagram

Priyanka Chopra has a large outdoor pool. Photo: @priyankachopra/Instagram

The luxuriously designed house is a great backdrop for Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas’ lavish dinners. Photo: @priyankachopra/Instagram

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas have a fish tank in the middle of their living room, because why not? Photo: @diariesofdiana/Instagram

Priyanka Chopra’s pooch Diana lounging at home. Photo: @diariesofdiana/Instagram

Priyanka Chopra also has a large backyard in her London house. Photo: @priyankachopra/Instagram

For Priyanka Chopra, what better place to celebrate Holi than in her large backyard? Photo: @priyankachopra/Instagram

Priyanka Chopra works – and sometimes takes naps – in her home office. Photo: @priyankachopra/Instagram

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Highgrove House, the home of Prince Charles – well, one of them. Photo: @highgrovegarden/Instagram

Highgrove House is also a working farm with its own visitor centre. Photo: @highgrovegardens/Instagram

Britain’s Prince Charles addresses the media outside Highgrove House in Gloucestershire, England, on April 10. Photo: AP

Prince Charles’ artworks are available to purchase. Photos: Highgrove Gardens

The overnight bag is on sale for £585 (around US$810) in Highgrove’s on-site boutique. Photo: Highgrove Gardens

Jewellery is also available in the shop. Photo: Highgrove Gardens

The shop also offers an Ettinger watch case. Photo: Highgrove Gardens

The shop also features a handmade bumblebee necklace. Photo: Highgrove Gardens

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Models present creations from Chanel’s spring/summer 2022 ready-to-wear collection during the Paris Fashion Week, on October 5. Photo:Xinhua

K-pop stars Jennie and G-Dragon are Chanel ambassadors. Photo: Chanel

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Models present creations from the Spring/Summer 2022 Ready to Wear collection for Chanel during the Paris Fashion Week, 2021. Photo: Xinhua

A model wears a creation for the Chanel spring-summer 2022 ready-to-wear fashion show presented October 2021, in Paris. Photo: AP

Karl Lagerfeld during the final of the Chanel 2015/16 Cruise collection in Seoul, Korea. Photo: Chanel

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Famously driven by Bobby Ewing in Dallas, SL models like the Mercedes-Benz 1956 ‘Gullwing’ 300 SL and the 280 SL were symbols of success in the 70s and 80s
The brand lost out to BMW, Porsche and Lexus from the 90s onwards, but has it missed its chance to make a comeback by putting a V8 engine in its new car?



The V8-powered Mercedes-AMG SL is a much-improved car, but it’s a missed opportunity to place the luxury brand back at the top of innovation and luxury


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Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


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