Gullwing-America 300SL Panamerica news - ’Wing commander - 2009

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With the Mercedes SLS shortly to arrive, we've been spending far too many hours ogling the original Merc gullwing, the 300SL.

So too, seemingly, has designer Arturo Alonso, who's created this, the Gullwing-America 300SL Panamerica concept.

Alonso was responsible for the heavy-metal Bentley S3 we saw last year, but he's not one of these dream-it-up-in-Photoshop-but-never-build-it designers - the S3 is on its way to limited production, and the 300SL Panamerica is a working model which, given sufficient interest, could be built in small numbers.

The Panamerica is based around a composite aluminium body and powered by the 5.5-litre V8 from the McMerc SLR putting out a conservative 370bhp, although Alonso says there could also be a 3.5-litre V6 offered futher down the line. The concept also gets a whole bunch of mod cons - aircon, iPod adaptor and starter button - oh, and gullwing doors. You didn't think they'd forget those, did you?

We're loving the retro detailing on the Panamerica: the dinky outboard wing mirrors, the authentic side vents, the side exit exhausts. We're not sure whether that bumper-less front end would pass crash regs, and we might drop those wheels down by a size or two, but apart from that we'll take three, ta. In silver.

Crunch time, TG faithful: one of these, or the SLS when it arrives? Tricky decision, we reckon...