AFFALTERBACH, Germany — Mercedes-Benz won't be bringing its new 2011 SLS coupe to the 2009 Geneva Auto Show this week. However, talk of the modern-day resurrection of the iconic 300SL Gullwing is sure to be on everyone's lips, following a decision by Mercedes' revered AMG performance-car division to reveal mechanical information about its new two-seater sports car. To be unveiled in production car guise at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show later this year — with North American sales to start around this time in 2010 — the 2011 SLS is the first stand-alone series production model to be wholly designed and developed by Mercedes-Benz's AMG division. Styled to evoke memories of the 300SL Gullwing, the SLS is planned to enter the Mercedes-Benz lineup as a replacement for the SLR and as a rival for the Ferrari 599. Production will kick off at McLaren's showcase assembly plant in Woking, England later this year. Alongside the coupe, pictured in prototype guise here, Mercedes-Benz is planning a convertible version of the SLS with a traditional cloth roof. The convertible is not likely to go on sale until 2012, according to Inside Line sources.The SLS pioneers a new aluminum construction technique that Mercedes-Benz has developed and is planning to use on the next-generation SL, due out in 2012, as a means of lowering weight and providing a more sporting drive. Eschewing traditional steel construction, its 531-pound floorpan and body structure is made out of a combination of forged, cast and sheet aluminum. Powering the coupe is a heavily revised 563-horsepower version of AMG's 6.2-liter V8 engine, set well back in the engine bay. With 479 pound-feet of torque and over 120 individual changes, including the adoption of dry sump lubrication, it gets its own unique internal code name: M159. Channeling the drive to the rear wheels is a newly developed seven-speed double-clutch gearbox mounted at the rear in a classic transaxle layout — providing the SLS with a 48:52 front-to-rear weight distribution. The fancy new gearbox also comes with a choice of four different driving modes, from comfortable to extremely sporty, as well as a RACE START function.High-performance composite brakes (ceramic composite brakes with larger discs are optional) and light-alloy wheels shod with 265/35R19 rubber in front and 295/30R20s in the rear are also present.Standing-start performance is on par with that of the SLR; the sprint from zero to 60 mph is claimed to take less than 3.8 seconds. Top speed is put at 196 mph. Underpinning the new car is a unique aluminum-intensive double-wishbone suspension with a 106-inch wheelbase along with a 66.1-inch front and 64.9-inch rear track. Pricing for the 2011 Mercedes SLS AMG is expected to be in the $250,000 range.Inside Line says: The final styling has not yet been revealed, but it's already clear that Mercedes-Benz's modern-day Gullwing is much more than a tarted-up SL. — Andreas Stahl, Correspondent