Mercedes-AMG SL 43 #91

There is a particular confidence in specifying an SL in Sun Yellow. Most buyers reach for black, grey or silver and let the shape carry the conversation. This one was originally imported from the United Kingdom in a colour that ends the conversation before it begins and it is now for sale in Cyprus with a specification sheet that leaves very little unticked.

The SL 43 had the hardest job in the R232 range. Fitting a four-cylinder to a Mercedes-AMG SL was always going to attract objections. The engine answers most of them. The M139 is assembled by hand by a single AMG technician and carries an electric exhaust gas turbocharger developed from Formula 1 practice. A slim electric motor sits directly on the turbocharger shaft and spins the compressor before exhaust gas arrives to do the job. The lag that every small-capacity turbo engine is accused of never really turns up. Torque arrives from just above idle and holds. 375 hp and 480 Nm push a rear-wheel-drive roadster to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds and on to an electronically governed 275 km/h. The nine-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT gearbox uses a wet clutch instead of a torque converter, which is why the shifts feel deliberate rather than smoothed over. Combined consumption works out at roughly 9.1 litres per 100 km with CO2 emissions of 206 g/km, placing the annual Cyprus road tax at €560.

The roof is fabric rather than folding metal, a deliberate return to how an SL used to be built. It stows in about 15 seconds and will open or close at up to 60 km/h, which matters more in practice than the number suggests. Traffic lights on Makarios Avenue rarely last long enough for a metal roof to finish its performance. On an island where the top stays down from September to June, that is the difference between an occasional convertible and a daily one.

The equipment is where this particular example separates itself. Airscarf blows warmed air across the back of the neck from vents built into the head restraints. It sounds like a gimmick until the first February evening coming down from the Troodos foothills with the top open and heat on your shoulders. Combined with the heated seats and heated steering wheel it extends the open-top season by months at either end.

The front seats are AMG multicontour with massage, ventilation and memory. The upholstery is two-tone nappa in sienna brown over black, with a black microfibre headliner and illuminated door sills. Premium ambient lighting runs through the cabin after dark. The AMG steering wheel is wrapped in nappa and carries the AMG Drive Unit controls on the spokes, the small round dials that change drive programme without a hand leaving the wheel.

The dashboard runs an 11.9-inch central display on a tilting mount, which is the only sensible answer to a screen in a vehicle with no roof, alongside a 12.3-inch instrument cluster. MBUX includes augmented-reality navigation that overlays direction arrows onto a live camera feed. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Wireless charging. Contactless gesture control. A Burmester premium sound system tuned to work with the top down.

Outside, the AMG Night packages darken the grille, the badging and the exterior trim against the yellow paintwork. Twenty-one-inch AMG double-spoke wheels sit on mixed-width tyres, wider at the rear. Behind them is the AMG high-performance braking system with silver calipers. Sports suspension underneath.

The driving assistance specification is the full L2 package: adaptive cruise with stop-and-go, active lane keeping, active lane change assist, route-based speed adaptation, traffic sign recognition and an emergency stop assistant. Active Park Assist and a 360-degree camera handle the part of ownership nobody photographs, which is reversing a wide roadster into a Limassol side street with the top down and very little rear visibility.

Seating is two plus two. The rear seats take bags, a jacket or a short trip. Boot space is approximately 240 litres with the roof up and 213 with it stowed, which covers a weekend for two without negotiation.

This vehicle is Cyprus and available for private viewing on appointment.