Photos by Michael Ballard
Driver's Notebook: Sexy Swabian
April 1, 2004
Over the last 15-odd years, tennis fans tended to fall into two camps: Pete
Sampras or Andre Agassi. While some savored the disciplined polish that Sampras
parlayed into serial—and well-deserved—victories, others thrilled to Agassi’s
moments of absolute brilliance, rising phoenixlike when least expected. I
happened to cheer for Agassi—his gusto and imperfect virtuosity made for
inconsistent tennis but superb entertainment.
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Lorinser’s GS03 package is most notable for its bulging fenders and dramatic,
sweeping lines. (Click image to enlarge)It is a sensibility that might explain why the Mercedes-Benz SL55 left me a little cold when I first drove it more than a year ago. Don’t get me wrong—there is a lot to like. Its curvaceous lines, for starters, seem pleasingly at odds with the car’s nationality. And of course, it feels like a grand tourer possessed by the spirit of an American muscle car, rumbling and snorting at idle, delivering a throaty exhaust note that could be heard in the next block on a still evening. No other luxury roadster can touch its handling and acceleration, and it excels without qualification in every performance-related category. Some indifferent interior materials (an increasingly common Mercedes-Benz bugbear of late) and overcomplicated stereo/navigation controls were the only real criticisms I could lob in the SL55’s direction back then.
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So what was wrong? It was a little too
perfect—even a bit precious—and while I endorsed its selection as Robb Report’s
2003 Car of the Year, I considered it a decision based on logic rather than
emotion. The Jaguar XKR convertible, which was also in the 2003 Car of the Year
contest, was notable for its perfectly matched, silken engine and transmission,
but undermined by aging architecture and soft handling characteristics. Even
though I knew the SL55 was the better car, I preferred the XKR, favoring
Agassi-style personality over Sampras-like excellence. (Click image to enlarge); function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
And then I drove
Lorinser’s spectacular GS03 widebody interpretation of the SL55, which
significantly ups the personality quotient without sacrificing dynamic ability.
In addition to turbine-style 20-inch rims and a sport exhaust, the package
includes some of the most fantastically designed coachwork ever to grace an SL.
The aggressive, stylized lines, accented by elegant mesh, are indisputably
in-your-face but stop short of going over the top—at least in Los Angeles. (Click image to enlarge)
A
casual observer can easily see that the GS03 is customized, but the difference
between the GS03 and the standard SL55 is not fully apparent until the two are
parked side by side, at which point the unmodified car looks like the GS03’s
plain-Jane sister. Custom bodywork can be seen from every angle. The rear
spoiler below the bumper, with a swooping concave surrounding dual exhaust tips,
has an almost Art Deco flavor. Angled slashes on either side of the doors
accentuate the bulging fenders and serve practical cooling purposes. An
exaggerated three-point star on a black background takes center stage on the
grille and is the only element that failed to win me over. Although it is
central to the design direction at Mercedes-Benz (witness the SLR and the new
SLK), it strikes me as more clunky than attractive. Perhaps it will grow on me—I
have become accustomed to the outsize badges on Cadillac Escalades—but if I were
to order a GS03, I would take mine with a simpler face.
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