Mercedes-AMG Mythos PureSpeed ​​is an SL Speedster with the F1 Halo roof rail

The first of several limited edition Mythos series is limited to 250 units and is only available to fans and collectors of the brand.

                                        https://www.carscoops.com/author/chris-chilton-cc/                                    

by Chris Shelton

4 hours ago

Mercedes-AMG has unveiled the first car in the Mythos series, PureSpeed. It’s an SL-based roadster that features design cues from F1, including halo-shaped rollover protection.

It is fitting, then, that Mercedes has chosen to debut the first of its two low-volume, high-priced Mythos specials ahead of this weekend’s F1 race in Monaco, whose residents also happen to be among the few in the world wealthy enough to afford one, although no announcement has been made. the price. The two-seater will enter small-scale production next year and will be limited to 250 units, with each car going to a carefully selected group of Mercedes’ most obsessive collectors.

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The Mythos design team took the existing four-seat 2024 SL and transformed it into a two-seat speedster, replacing the windshield and A-pillars with a small aero screen and a structural spine that bisects the view forward. Buyers also get a pair of “aerodynamically enhanced” helmets designed specifically for the car.

But the halo roof protection is far from the only visual update; The new Mercedes PureSpeed ​​also comes with a completely new shark-like front fascia that dispenses with the traditional AMG grille, replacing it with a large three-pointed star to help anyone else on the road recognize it. Mercedes has used this look before on the C-111 concept in the 1970s and on the Mercedes-McLaren SLR Stirling Moss car.

Continuing the Moss connection, the flying A-pillars behind the seat are said to be inspired by those on the 300 SLR that the legendary British racer drove to victory in the 1955 Mille Miglia, while the red paint is a nod to the color worn by Mercedes which took the checkered flag in Targa Florio in 1924 in Sicily.

Although Benz race cars of a century ago were usually white, the manufacturer chose to mimic the look of the Italian brand’s red cars to trick spectators into moving out of the way as they approached. The winning Mercedes of that race had the number 10 and the PureSpeed ​​car wore the same number on its front fenders.

Mercedes developed its Mythos series to capitalize on the lucrative bespoke car market that competitors such as Ferrari and Aston Martin are good at exploiting. These brands always reserve stock engines for their donor cars, and Mercedes almost certainly did the same, although they haven’t confirmed any details. It most likely uses the 577 PS (585 PS) SL63 V8 under the hood and not the V8-powered 805 PS (816 PS) SL63 SE Performance V8.