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The Mercedes SL is in many ways the quintessential boulevardier cruiser. Over the course of seven decades and seven different generations, Merc’s signature roadster has never been an out-and-out sports car (though owners of the Black Series versions may disagree with that), but it has always been one of the best ways to enjoy open-topped motoring in luxury and style.

Whether it’s an early W113 ‘Pagoda’ car from the 60s, the more Teutonic and sturdy-looking R129 model of the 90s, or the folding hard-top cars that were introduced with the R230 model in the noughties, the SL has remained one of the most appealing roadsters around.

These days, the seventh-gen R232 even offers a mild-hybrid 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine for the environmentally conscious (mind you, it does still put out 375 hp). The other two engine choices are somewhat less politically correct, with both the SL55 and the SL63 getting 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8s.

The latest car also reverts to a fabric soft-top for the first time since the R230 was introduced in 2001, and is the first SL to be an AMG model only.