Car Auto Magazine

n fact, Klaus Nesser, head of exclusive products for Mercedes, expects droptop-SLR buyers to be more inclined to cruising than racing. An open car provides more opportunity to be seen and envied. Just drop the automatic top, which takes about 10 seconds.

Nesser says the convertible conversion was easy: “All we had to do was remove the roof.” Herr Nesser was joking, but only a little. The roadster’s body uses a stronger carbon-fiber weave than the coupe (triaxial weave versus biaxial), and there are hefty steel beams in the A-pillars. But beyond that, the body shell needed no reinforcement. If there’s any compromise in chassis rigidity, it’s subliminal.

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Chassis rigidity is the cornerstone of agility, and the roadster’s credentials on this score are hard to fault. Grip is abundant, responses are mongoose quick, and the carbon ceramic brakes are equal to the power, which is both vast and seductive.

Nesser says the convertible conversion was easy: “All we had to do was remove the roof.” Herr Nesser was joking, but only a little. The roadster’s body uses a stronger carbon-fiber weave than the coupe (triaxial weave versus biaxial), and there are hefty steel beams in the A-pillars. But beyond that, the body shell needed no reinforcement. If there’s any compromise in chassis rigidity, it’s subliminal.

Chassis rigidity is the cornerstone of agility, and the roadster’s credentials on this score are hard to fault. Grip is abundant, responses are mongoose quick, and the carbon ceramic brakes are equal to the power, which is both vast and seductive.