Mercedes-AMG PureSpeed On One Of Its Test Drives

Feel the breeze on your skin, no one else can feel it for you. Taking the prototype of the Mercedes-AMG PureSpeed on one of its test drives. Swipe for more road trip vibes.
 

The iconic Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss is bound to get a successor in the vein of a heavily modified SL. But you already knew that given that the three-pointed star brand previewed it with a concept earlier this year.
 
Fast-forward to the present day, Mercedes-AMG took to its social media pages to release a few teasers. Instead of dropping shadowy and blurry pictures partially revealing the car, the automaker decided to put the spotlight on the pre-production model, so it showed two fully camouflaged prototypes of this car.
 

You know what comes next, don’t you? Yep, that would be a side-by-side comparison with the study, and, to little surprise, the production-ready variant is almost identical. It features the same long nose and an identical bumper with AMG branding on the upper grille trim, similar side vents, and side blades that continue further back behind the front wheels and in front of the rear ones.
 
Even the headlamps and their graphics look the same. Mercedes-AMG gave the Mythos PureSpeed different side mirrors and a slightly smaller (from what we can tell) tiny aero screen piece. It still lacks a proper windshield and a roof over the passenger compartment, but these will be some of its strong selling points. It has flying buttresses behind the seats, reminiscent of the 300 SLR that won the 1955 Mille Miglia, and even the back end looks the same as the one on the concept.
 
You see, the Affalterbach brand refrained from releasing any technical details when it revealed the study back in May this year, yet it is widely believed that the show car featured the same powertrain as the SL 63. If that’s the case, then it might enjoy 577 hp (585 ps/430 kW) and 590 pound-feet (800 Nm) of torque. The 4.0L twin-turbo V8 rockets the regular SL 63 to 62 mph (100 kph) in 3.6 seconds and enables a 196 mph (315 kph) top speed, three-tenths slower, and twelve mph (20 kph) quicker than the 469 hp (476 ps/350 kW) and 516 pound-feet (700 Nm) of torque SL 55.
 

According to the initial information, Mercedes-AMG will limit the production of Mythos PureSpeed to 250 units. The model is part of the Mythos series and features numerous upgrades and modifications over the regular SL, including seating for only two, a halo rollover bar, and a tiny aero screen. Oh, the helmets, which are said to have been specially designed for this car and aerodynamically optimized (whatever that means), are also included with the sale.
 
Sitting above the recently unveiled Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram, which is the first-ever Maybach-branded SL, the upcoming Mythos PureSpeed is probably a few months away. It’s the company’s first model in the Mythos sub-brand, which will take on Ferraris and Aston Martins.