Mercedes knows its sports cars are not just about how it performs on the road, but many of its customers also like the feeling of having the wind in their hair and letting the worlds see how wealthy they are. So while it may have taken three years for Mercedes to develop a droptop version of its first gullwing sports car, the 300SL, the upcoming SLS AMG may have a soft top as soon as a year after its premiere.

The new gullwing car from Mercedes will make its first appearance this September at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and the first car could be on the road as soon as next spring. Once that's out the door, Mercedes engineers will work to ditch roof and add “butterfly” doors similar to the ones on the SLR roadster. This version of the SLS may be on the auto show circuit in time for the 2010 Paris Motor Show (Frankfurt and Paris alternate years).

The roadster is expected to get the same 571 hp 6.2-liter V8 engine that will be used in the SLS gullwing coupe.

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