2012 Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS roadster spotted in Affalterbach

2012 Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS Roadster - Click above for high-res image gallery

Our man Chris Paukert had a layover in Germany this weekend on his way to the Geneva Motor Show that included a visit to the headquarters of AMG in Affalterbach. While there, a prototype SLS AMG Roadster made a suspiciously timed pass and pause while he and other journalists were walking around the compound. No matter the motivation, our man Paukert snagged a brace of shots and says that the droptop is expected to arrive as a 2012 model.
Aside from the folding top in place of the upward swinging gullwing doors, not much else is expected to change. Paukert got off-the-record confirmation from a company official, however, that the roadster will not immediately receive the new twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 that is going into the 2011 S63 sedan. Instead, it will carry over the 563-horsepower, normally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 already on sale in the coupe.