Is the Mercedes SLS AMG actually based on an American car?

When you see a Mercedes with an AMG badge on it, you expect it to be really, really, really fast. From the humble C-Class, to the rough-and-tumble Gelandewagen, AMG has been turning Mercedes Benz' into leather-lined rocket ships for years

But, AMG has never built a car entirely in-house. Until now.

Unveiled in 2009, the Mercedes SLS is built entirely at the AMG factory in Affalterbach, Germany. It features "gullwing" doors, a 562 horsepower V8, and room for your golf clubs.

Think of the SLS AMG as a modern version of Mercedes first supercar, the 1954 300SL. It has gullwing doors, just like the 300SL. Plus, it has a modern interpretation of the 300SL's interior.

Unlike the 300SL, the SLS AMG has a 6.2-liter V8, which is made almost entirely of aluminum. So, it weighs a scant 205 kg.

Step on the go pedal, and the light(er) weight SLS will reach 96 km/h in only 3.8 seconds. Keep it floored and it'll reach a top speed of 317 km/h.

As supercars go, the Mercedes SLS AMG is pretty good. Especially considering that this is AMG's first attempt at building an entire car.

But according to Edmund's Inside Line, an anonymous source claims that the aluminum chassis under SLS AMG actually came from the American car company, Dodge, not AMG.

Since Mercedes used to own the American automaker, they had access to its R&D department. According to the source, Dodge engineers had designed the aluminum chassis and suspension for the next generation of their own muscle car, the Dodge Viper. Upon learning of the new chassis design, Mercedes reportedly allowed AMG to use it for the upcoming SLS.

Since the two companies have shared chassis designs in the past, the idea of the SLS AMG riding on an American chassis is easy to believe.

If these rumours are true, then the Mercedes SLS AMG dispels the myth that Americans can't figure out how to make their cars to go around corners.