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As a car that nails the needs of its owners, the old SL had few rivals. The Jaguar XK8 and Porsche 911 got close, but the SL had too much image; was just too good. And now there’s a new version. Project R230 began back in 1996 and the brief was obvious: take the current car and make it faster, lighter, roomier and more desirable. The new SL hopes to prove that the hybrid super coupé/roadster market really does belong to Mercedes. Read the full article

The current SL has been around for 6 years now, but the way Merc's model cycle works with the SL we probably won't see an all-new model for at least another 4 years. But then i think the SL is still an excellent GT and is probably only bettered by the Jag XK and betters the 6-Series, DB9 and Maserati GT (though wait and see what the new Gran Turismo is like). The next overhaul in a year or so needs to be good though to keep the SL in the game but then when it betters almost all newer rivals, do they need to? Whether its best or nor the SL in my eyes is still probably seen as the definitive GT. However, the test for all GTs will come when Porsche launches the replacement for the legendary 928.