From the Viper to the SLS
02/24/2026
In 2008, technical components for the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG were ready for road testing. In order to be able to start early with the test vehicles, important components were installed in a Dodge Viper, a product of DaimlerChrysler AG at the time.
A total of ten of these test vehicles, so-called Mulettos, were built in the course of development. Only the example shown here and exhibited at Retro Classics Stuttgart has survived.
The passenger cell came from the Viper right up to the end; between the AMG front and AMG rear, the engineers in Affalterbach fitted the complete drivetrain with the 6.3-liter V8 front engine and the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission in a transaxle arrangement.
These Viper-Mulettos underwent the entire AMG test program from South Africa to Sweden with a focus on performance and safety. Components such as the air conditioning system had to meet all requirements, even when driving up the 4301-meter-high summit of Pikes Peak (Colorado USA).
The SLS AMG was the first vehicle that AMG itself developed to series maturity on behalf of Mercedes-Benz. In close tradition to the legendary 300 SL Gullwing (W198 from 1954) and the C111 (1969), the SLS AMG also has the characteristic gullwing doors.
The production version of the SLS AMG Coupé was presented in 2009.
The Roadster followed in 2011. In 2012, the SLS AMG Coupé "Electric Drive" was created, at the time one of the most advanced and powerful electric cars in the world.
