CHIEF Jaguar designer Ian Callum once said it is no longer possible to make a car beautiful because of modern safety, packaging and aerodynamics constraints.

No-one seems to have told the people who shaped Mercedes-Benz’s latest SLK, which unlike other Daimler models is gorgeous from every angle.

The SLK triumphantly melds modern and retro, starting with a beautifully rendered 21st-century version of the classic 1950s SL grille.

The three most compelling elements of the SLK story are heritage, style and a folding metal roof: the SLK200 delivers all this, plus brilliant dynamics and a fair turn of speed.