Last Friday a spectacular temporary exhibition at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart came to an end. The exhibition featured Mercedes’ new über car the SLS AMG “Gullwing”. Apart from the car itself there’s nothing too special about that. Until you see the car was on show on the museum’s roof, some 42 metres from ground level.
German engineers usually do think of everything, but, strangely, they did not think of installing a car ramp leading to the musuem’s summit. An oversight that meant the 1620kg SLS AMG had to be lifted by crane onto the roof.
Like me, you probably missed all the fun. But, fear not, here is a video and some pics of the installation process. Sure, countless more astounding engineering feats are probably completed every day, but there’s something quite cool about seeing one of the world’s most desirable cars hanging from the sky.
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG:
A new Gullwing in the Mercedes-Benz Museum
Between the 6th and 16th of October 2009 the Mercedes-Benz Museum will have another attraction to show: the new Gullwing, which had its world premiere just recently at the Frankfurt International Motor Show, will land 42 metres up on the museum’s roof terrace. For a few days visitors then can take in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in an open-air setting.
“This will be a very emotional experience for our visitors,†says Michael Bock, Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz Museum GmbH. “This super sports car stands for excitement, passion and high-tech. As museum for the past. present and future of the automobile we provide an ideal setting for the exclusive presentation of the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.â€
A unique vehicle calls for exceptional surroundings: the roof terrace of the Mercedes-Benz Museum normally is not open to visitors. The 465 square metre outdoor area can be accessed through Legend Room 1 on level 8. At a dizzy height one has a grandstand view of the surrounding vineyards and the Mercedes-Benz Untertürkheim plant. To place the SLS on the stage set for it, a 120-ton hydraulic crane will let the car float down onto the roof terrace – an ultra-precision job.
The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG has an exciting technology package to offer: aluminium spaceframe body with gullwing doors, AMG 6.3-litre V8 front-mid engine with a maximum output of 420 kW/571 hp, 650 Newton metres of torque and dry sump lubrication, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission in transaxle configuration, sports suspension with aluminium double wishbones, and a DIN kerb weight of 1620 kilograms – this combination guarantees driving dynamics on the highest level.
The Gullwing accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. The top speed is electronically governed 317 km/h. The fuel consumption of 13.2 litres per 100 kilometres (combined) ranks it at the top of the competitive field (all figures provisional).
The Mercedes-Benz Museum can be quickly and conveniently reached by public conveyance. Apart from the No. 56 bus line, which plies between the Bad Cannstatt train station and the “Mercedes-Benz Welt†bus stop, it is also possible to use the “Neckarpark (Mercedes-Benz)†suburban railway station. The multi-storey car park of the Mercedes-Benz Museum and the P4 car park are open to guests of the Mercedes-Benz Museum arriving by private car. The address of the Mercedes-Benz Museum: Mercedesstrasse 100, 70372 Stuttgart. Visitors can reach the Classic Customer Center by calling +49 (0)7 11 / 17 – 30 000. Further information is available at www.mercedes-benz.com/museum