Robert has pursued parallel career paths for more than 50 years, first as a car designer, then as a writer specializing in design. The first car made to his sketches — a one-off known as the Parkinson Jaguar Special, which is still vintage-racing — was done when he was 15 years old. At 19, he was a General Motors designer, working chiefly on Corvettes, and he had been published in national magazines. From 1958 onward, he has been an independent designer, working for major car manufacturers in Europe and the U.S. and for small-volume specialists. He taught transportation design at the Art Center College of Design, is the editorialist for Italy’s Auto & Design magazine, and has written a popular car design column for Automobile Magazine for 25 years. Learn more about Robert here.
More Bulk, Less Beauty No doubt this is a good, fast and highly respectable Mercedes, better in almost all ways than the 1950s 300SL Gullwing it was meant to evoke. But it lacks the main elements that made its ancestor one of the greatest designs of all time: beauty and grace to go with its exceptional performance. In 1955, when Stirling Moss and J.M. Fangio finished 1st and 2nd in the Mille Miglia with Mercedes 300SLRs, production 300SLs finished 5th (John Fitch) and 7th (Olivier Gendebien). This modern version could (or perhaps should) have been named SDS, with the German word […]
More Bulk, Less Beauty
No doubt this is a good, fast and highly respectable Mercedes, better in almost all ways than the 1950s 300SL Gullwing it was meant to evoke. But it lacks the main elements that made its ancestor one of the greatest designs of all time: beauty and grace to go with its exceptional performance. In 1955, when Stirling Moss and J.M. Fangio finished 1st and 2nd in the Mille Miglia with Mercedes 300SLRs, production 300SLs finished 5th (John Fitch) and 7th (Olivier Gendebien). This modern version could (or perhaps should) have been named SDS, with the German word “dick” (thick) instead of the word “licht” in SLS (for Super Light Sport). All the visual aspects of this car tell you it’s heavy, as well as thick, making it hard to imagine this SLS as a successful racer. The styling was obviously done by engineers bereft of aesthetic sensitivity.
— Robert Cumberford
FRONT 3/4 VIEW
The front part of the hood is puffed up and a bit fat, in contrast to the base of the windshield, and rises above the fenders, unlike the original 300SL.
The classic grille is nicely done. The perimeter is not too thick, but the center horizontal bar is, if only slightly.
A sharp-edged rib across the lower front of the body, below the grille, and the well-shaped lamp fairings greatly help to reduce the overall puffiness.
The nicest detail on the body, and the only delicate one, is the thin vertical flange around each wheel opening. Well done.
The relatively flat transverse section of the roof is in stark contrast to the fighter-plane canopy effect of the original Gullwing.
While an appropriate reference to the classic design, this vent seems too large, as does the surface to which it is applied.
REAR 3/4 VIEW
Huge, heavy and very thick doors are disgraceful and would have been better if they were conventionally front-hinged. But then the artificial pretext for this ungainly coupe’s existence would have disappeared.
Exhaust outlets are nicely integrated into the lower tail.
These three sharp edges create horizontal lines across the entire rear end, but they do not hide the visual weight of the SLS.
Give the stylistically unskilled people who created this whole awkward sculpture the credit they deserve: These taillights are quite elegant and would go well with a more taut-surfaced body.
Entrance to the cabin is complicated by the broad sill and its excessive height.
Again, give the shapers of the SLS credit for handling the transition of the surfaces from fender peak into the band of flat sheet metal surrounding the wheel opening.
INTERIOR VIEW
The aesthetics of the SLS can be criticized, but not the execution of its cabin, nor the materials used. The dark upper parts of the interior exclude any distracting elements, while the brown leather — beautifully applied without excessive detailing — makes this a place one would naturally like to be. Especially because from within, you cannot see the less-refined and less-agreeable exterior.
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