It was exactly ten years ago that the Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class made its debut in the showrooms. When it was launched in 1996, the SLK was a new market segment for Mercedes, but they managed to make it a success. Though Mercedes didn't invent the folding hard-top roof, the SLK was the car that revived it among modern cars.

More than 311,000 units of the first-generation SLK were produced between fall 1996 and March 2004. To date, Mercedes has produced 148,000 units of the current second-gen model and has the biggest market share in this segment with 34 percent.

Over that time, the SLK has grown from what was considered to be a hairdresser’s car to the current model that can compete with some of the best handling cars on the market. The SLK55 AMG is one of our favorites, and with rumors that the AMG division is planning to slot their prized 6.2-liter V-8 under the hood the car will only be made better.

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