The New Roofless Mercedes Hits the Streets

Remember the word “Mythos” because it represents a new lineup of ultra-exclusive Mercedes models. The first of the bunch is an AMG SL that has had its roof completely chopped off. It’s also lost the A-pillars and windshield in the process, giving the Sport Leicht a special look. Following its world premiere in May at an event in Monaco, the PureSpeed has now hit the streets.

These new images show the AMG PureSpeed out in the open during final testing on public roads. The test program amounts to more than 1,864 miles, which doesn’t seem like a lot. Then again, this is a modified SL rather than a completely new car. Test drives are now being conducted on various roads in northern Italy. After that, prototypes will be evaluated at the legendary Nardo track owned by Porsche Engineering, a wholly owned Weissach-based subsidiary of the company that gave us the 911.

As someone who’s had the pleasure of getting familiar with the SLR Stirling Moss, the new AMG PureSpeed doesn’t seem to be on the same level of excitement. It does look different than 99% of all cars out there but the formula has been used by other brands since the roofless SLR launched in 2009. Examples include the McLaren Elva, Lamborghini SC20, Ferrari Monza SP1/SP2, and the Aston Martin V12 Speedster.

Mercedes decided to camouflage the prototypes, but these appear to be virtually identical to the car we saw a few months ago. The Formula 1-inspired halo, consisting of an aero-optimized curved bar fixed to the body, is still there. Those two helmets come bundled with the purchase of the topless SL.

It might not have the pizzazz of the SLR Stirling Moss, but it’s sure to turn heads—if owners drive them instead of locking them up in a garage. We can already imagine a few of these being sold at an auction for crazy money with low mileage decades from now.

But the PureSpeed won’t be as exclusive as the SLR Stirling Moss of which just 75 units were ever made. Mercedes-AMG intends to build 250 examples of its inaugural Mythos model and will sell them to “enthusiasts and collectors.” To bring the “unique driving machine for connoisseurs” to fruition, the three-pointed star worked with Pininfarina by taking advantage of its expertise in low-volume specialty models.