New Mercedes-Benz gullwing sports coupe spied

Carmakers have their plans for this year's Geneva motor show lined up. But here's something that we expect to see at Geneva in 2010: Mercedes-Benz's new high-performance coupe.

Up to now, reports are that this gullwing Mercedes sports car would wear the SLC name. But now we hear that it will get a new name--still unknown--and wear an AMG badge. The car is code-named C197.

This white prototype offers a couple of key details.

First, there is the moveable spoiler at the rear, seen here in its deployed position.

Also, a look at the grille suggests that there's a beefy Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star badge hiding behind that black tape--a design that recalls the original Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing from the 1950s.

Our sources say this new car will have just a two-year production run of about 6,000 units. The price? Several hundred thousand dollars. For that money, expect output somewhere in the range of 550 hp to 650 hp. And that engine could be the V12 from the SL65 AMG Black Series.

By Dale Jewett