Mercedes SLR McLaren production ends entirely next year
Click above for high-res gallery of the SLR Roadster
It's been a long, drawn-out goodbye for the lackluster Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. The last of the original coupes rolled smoothly off the production line at the end of last year, and the subsequent SLR Roadster is set to follow in 2009.
The SLR drew criticism from the start as a wishy-washy compromise of a supercar with an automatic transmission, better suited towards boulevard cruising – of which it was capable in the grandest style – than white-knuckle driving. The future is looking brighter, however, as a whole array of mouth-watering supercars is popping up in the SLR's place. We brought you news yesterday that the SLR's supercharged V8 engine could find its way into the next Pagani. Before that we brought you spy shots of the upcoming SL65 AMG Black Series, whose performance promises to eclipse the SLR's at a fraction of the price. Mercedes is also preparing an even more extreme SLC with potentially even more blistering performance. McLaren, meanwhile, unhappy with the compromises forced upon it by Mercedes over the SLR project, is going its own way with the P11 project. With this cache of supercars coming down the road, we think it'll be rather hard to miss the SLR at all. Don't you?
[Source: Autocar]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Daniel 1:05PM (4/03/2008)
Was never a big fan...
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Torrent 1:15PM (4/03/2008)
Never really liked them...
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akboss302 9:01PM (4/03/2008)
While the SLR McLaren wasn't the white-knuckled supercar it could have been, is that a bad thing? For people who watch supercars on Top Gear, tearing around corners in plumes of smoke and rubber, this is TV and they own an abandoned runway! For the real world driver, this may just be one of the best supercars ever made.
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FSM 1:19PM (4/03/2008)
good riddance
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Bart 1:32PM (4/03/2008)
Terribly underrated, but also terribly overpriced car. Those two dont mix.
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Benfolio 1:59PM (4/03/2008)
Looks like the pic I took of it at the Chicago Auto Show.
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Paul P. 2:02PM (4/03/2008)
I think the problem with the SLR McLaren is it's sold next to regular Mercedes SL roadsters. I could see someone walking into a Mercedes dealership, seeing an SLR next to an SL600, and wondering if they really need the SLR. Especially since the SL600 is 1/4 of the price.
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Franz 2:08PM (4/03/2008)
You couldn't be more correct. The difference in performance did not justify the difference in price. Plus the SLR always did look kinda weird with it's so called "F1 inspired" nose.
Kayne001 2:10PM (4/03/2008)
am I the only one who liked it? (kind of)
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BigMcLargeHuge 3:26PM (4/03/2008)
I liked the styling too Kayne.
But I agree, what were they thinking with that pricetag?
madgamer 4:14PM (4/03/2008)
And if all you were doing is going by horsepower/torque numbers, that made it even less tempting next to an sl65.
bob d 2:15PM (4/03/2008)
This car was way too overhyped, way too expensive and frankly... a bit too ugly. McLaren produced one of the great cars of the world with the F-1. It's time to get rid of the Mercedes marketing machine and for them to find their own path again.
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Toy Yoda 2:23PM (4/03/2008)
To be fair, there aren't many supercars in production today that look great. Nearly all of them look gaudy. Perhaps Aston Martins are the only supercars that look classy.
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2004m3driver 4:32PM (4/03/2008)
Its because the unique and the hyper rich don't want something simply classy. They want something gaudy. If you got it flaunt it they say.
However, I think the Veyron rooks rather classy, in an obscene 1001hp kinda way.
nastinupe 8:55AM (4/04/2008)
Aston Martins aren't Supercars. They are just over priced under produced cars.
daz 5:16PM (4/03/2008)
I thought the SLR was the supercar that actually looked like a supercar. I agree the styling may have been a bit too over the top for some, but in my opinion, it looked awesome. In it's debut, very few cars could draw as much attention as the SLR.
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PJ 6:01PM (4/03/2008)
That mega-phallus nose sends a message that I, personally, wouldn't want to be associated with if I were an aging rich man in a convertible.
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ss mcl 6:40PM (4/27/2008)
You people that criticize this car have likely never driven one more less owned one. I own one, and it is the best and most satisfying car I have ever had, and I have had them all, including Enzo, Ford GT, Carrera GT, Lambo, etc, etc, etc. When I go out with this car jaws drop and everyone wants to see this rare and spectacular supercar. When I go to the track, everyone stops and watches. It is one of the few supercars worth the price.
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J 4:43PM (5/09/2008)
I loved/love the way it looks. The only down side to me is that Paris Hilton owns one. Even that wasn't enough to make me stop wanting one.
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