One of the world’s most sought-after luxury grand tourers, the super Mercedes Benz SLS AMG, was unveiled before a gawking audience of more than 200 specially invited guests at the Mercedes Benz Shah Alam showroom in Malacca on 28th August 2010.

Rated as the fastest-ever Safety Car of the Formula 1 racing circuit, which debuted at the 2010 F1 season’s opening leg in Bahrain in March, the 6.3-litre V8 seven-speed gullwing coupe is capable of accelerating from 0 to 100kmh (62 mph) in 3.8 seconds, and can reach an electronically limited top speed of 317kmh (197 mph).

No wonder it caused a global stir in August, when an owner in Switzerland landed the world’s most expensive speeding fine of S$1.4 million for tearing down a Swiss highway at more than the specified top speed.

Certainly, its high reputation was not lost on the crowd, who comprised bankers from the CIMB group, members of the Lions Group, public accountants from the Malacca division of the Australian Certified Publics Accountants, and other high net worth individuals who have been Mercedes loyalists over the years.

Described by Mercedes as a spiritual successor to the 300SL Gullwing of the mid-Fifties, the all-new rear-wheel drive 2010 SLS, packing 563bhp from a front mid-engine, was the most expensive car ever to grace the MBSA Autohause, retailing at around RM2million.

And for the special preview night, dinner was catered by Malacca’s well-known five-star hotel, the Equatorial Hotel, as Daniel Fernandez, Group Editor of Asian Auto, a leading automotive consumer magazine, played emcee to extol the virtues of the two-door coupe.

Doubtless, it was the gullwing doors that awed the select turnout, featuring wing doors that swing open upwards on gas struts, not in a mix of upwards and forward like the SLR. The doors must be closed manually as AMG engineers decided against auto-closing systems because an extra weight of 41kg (90lbs) would have been added to the car. In case of a roll-over, the doors can be fully detached for occupants to get out.

And for the special preview night, dinner was catered by Malacca’s well-known five-star hotel, the Equatorial Hotel, as Daniel Fernandez, Group Editor of Asian Auto, a leading automotive consumer magazine, played emcee to extol the virtues of the two-door coupe.

In all, the three-hour launch was a privileged occasion for MBSA and Malacca, coming as it were three weeks before the super Merc was unveiled in Singapore.