Although Novak Djokovic just won Wimbledon 2011 and is now the Men’s Tennis World Champion, previous Wimbledon champ and 3rd-ranked Swiss-born Roger Federer wasn’t even in the final game. But don’t feel too bad for Federer, he still has a pretty good gig as spokesman for Mercedes-Benz.
Last year, Federer got the enviable “job” pitching the new SLS AMG Gullwing Coupé (base MSRP $183,000). This year, he’s doing commercials for the upcoming, not-yet-in-showrooms, 2012 SLS AMG Roadster.
The 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster. In the back, in red, is the SLS AMG Gullwing Coupe. I like the Roadster, but I think I'd take the Gullwing just because the door mechanisms are so amazing and you can't beat the "Wow" factor when you open them.
Mercedes is already a big sponsor of Wimbledon, and there are other Mercedes commercials during the matches for more “affordable” models; however, the SLS spots are purely brand polishing. The SLS is a “halo car” that tests technology and styling cues that filter down into more mainstream products. Who wouldn’t want to be tossed the reins to Zeus’ chariot and told to wax lyrical about it for the cameras?
The interior of the 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster. It looks like a nice place to spend time to me!
The SLS Roadster hasn’t even been officially priced, however, Car & Driver pegs the opening bid at around $225,000. None of that really matters because most people can only dream of affording one. Mercedes probably has buyers lined up for the first year of SLS Roadster production (and maybe longer) and they are the kind of car enthusiasts that don’t have to ask the price. When you can toss this kind of money around for a roadster, you probably already have a stable of German, Italian and English cars at multiple homes.
It’s great eye candy!
The SLS Roadster cuts a nice silhouette from above too.
This is the commercial that was shown during the men’s final match at Wimbledon:
In this slightly longer follow-up video on YouTube, Federer actually gets to talk more about the car. Although it was probably a long day of shooting just to get a few seconds for this spot, I don’t think it gets old mashing the accelerator pedal on the SLS Roadster.
Todd Bianco's ACarIsNotARefrigerator.com Blog 