2013 Mercedes-Benz SL

At first, it was the brochure shots and now, it’s an Armageddon of official photos of the brand-new 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL that have spilled onto the internet ahead of the hardtop roadster model’s scheduled world premiere at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show in January.

Aside from the obvious when it comes to the boxier styling language, which is closely modeled after the smaller SLK, what we now about the new SL is that it is the first mainstream Mercedes model to feature an almost exclusively aluminum construction that make it some 140kg (308 pounds) lighter than the car it replaces.

The 2013 SL keeps the current model’s folding top with Mercedes-Benz’s Magic Sky Control roof with a glass structure being offered as an option.

While Mercedes has released several details on the technologies and the chassis design of the new SL, the German company remains tight-lipped about the available engine range. However, we expect the SL to launch with Merc’s new 3.5-liter V6 and 4.6-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engines, with more powerplants to be introduced down the line.