Dissolution of Mercedes-McLaren partnership confirmed
Click for hi-res gallery of the Mercedes SLR McLaren
It's hard not to follow a story like the veritable fleet of new supercars set to follow the controversial Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. The supercar came out of the partnership between Benz and McLaren in Formula One, but while the racing cars have been highly competitive, the SLR has been less so. As a result, Mercedes and McLaren are going their own separate ways for the next generation of high-performance exotica.
Mercedes, with in-house rodders AMG and its racing spin-off, HWA, is preparing two new models to succeed the SLR: the SL65 AMG Black Series (which has been spied many times over) and the SLC (which we've seen disguised in Dodge Viper bodywork). McLaren, meanwhile, is anticipated to produce the new P11 mid-engined supercar on its own, without Mercedes input. The dissolution of the car-producing enterprise between the two powerhouses is not expected to affect their joint grand prix racing program.
The last iteration of the SLR – following the original coupe, the Roadster and the 722 – will be a limited-production lightweight speedster, on which we recently reported. Despite all its available variants, Mercedes has sold fewer than 1600 examples of the SLR to date.
[Source: Automotive News Europe – sub. req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Noidor 8:34PM (7/05/2008)
I guarantee that if you talk to any engineer who worked on SLR, you'll hear that the final result was nowhere close to what was the original intention. Underneath it's all high-tech I'm sure, but it's a colossal failure as supercar, or a fashion statement.
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paulmer 11:15PM (7/05/2008)
A failure as a fashion statement? I think it looks stunning, personally.
pmiddle5 12:43AM (7/06/2008)
I'm not even worried how it looks because of its sound
azzo45 11:41AM (7/06/2008)
^^McLaren Lead Engineer Neil Hannemann has stated as much when interviewed at his new job(for an electric vehicle maker in Carlsbad CA).
BigMcLargeHuge 8:38PM (7/05/2008)
"Despite all its available variants, Mercedes has sold fewer than 1600 examples of the SLR to date."
No, really?
That is a beautiful car, but they put the decimal in the wrong place when writing the pricetag.
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Michael 8:53PM (7/05/2008)
The car just wasn't what it should have been. And it's ugly.
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CORVETTE ZR1 9:13PM (7/05/2008)
Your Ugly. The 09 SLR is Beautiful...
3seriesisking 10:27PM (7/05/2008)
Wow, that's really immature dude. You should think about growing up, you can make a comment without calling someone ugly....lol..
pmiddle5 12:44AM (7/06/2008)
3 series' are ugly and your mother wears combat boots.
zamafir 9:09PM (7/05/2008)
"McLaren, meanwhile, is anticipated to produce the new P11 mid-engined supercar on its own, without Mercedes input. "
or Murray input. but he wasn't an integral part of the F1 or anything.
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JD 10:49PM (7/05/2008)
Yeah, I do hope that Murray has some input on it, because that man is a genius. I don't even consider the SLR a McLaren.
The ethos of Mercedes and the ethos of McLaren are complete opposites- one is for the comfort of the driver above all else, the other, all that matters is the drive and the direct link the the driver. The SLR weighs about 1,300 lbs more than the F1(not that it's the only measure of how great a car is, but it is a good start for me)- and the F1 had more cargo room and room for another passenger. And a physically larger engine. I mean, the F1 was art- the SLR, not so much. Oh, and an automatic in a "supercar?" Yeah, right. Call me when you're serious. Sheesh. For a half million dollars, I'd at least want an automated manual.
zamafir 11:52PM (7/05/2008)
i don't think he will, he's working on the city car, and he is the only reason the McLaren F1 was what it was. I can't think of another automotive designer/engineer with the extensive capacity he has to design everything from the lug nuts to the entire car, alone, on paper.
John Doe 9:52PM (7/05/2008)
Thank you! Now someone please explain the failure of the SLR to my girlfriend, who is adamant that I buy her one someday in the future. -____-
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CORVETTE ZR1 10:16PM (7/05/2008)
if you got $500k. Go for it get a new 09 Roadster. ur gf know what shes talking about. But... here are the numbers.
09 SLR 0-60 mph. 3.7 sec. Top Speed: 207 mph.
09 ZR1 0-60 mph. 3.3-3.4 sec Top Speed: 205+ mph.
i like both cars myself. but... it's your Choice pick one of them. lol...
John Doe 10:43PM (7/05/2008)
LOL man, I WISH I had that much money. I'm a poor college student, hoping to buy myself a Honda Fit or Mazda 3 Hatch in the near future. She's just dreaming.
Dolemite 11:48PM (7/05/2008)
John Doe,
Bro, you have a girlfriend who not only is aware of the existence of the SLR but also wants one?
You're the richest person I know of.
*sigh*
Jeff Banks 9:56PM (7/05/2008)
From what I've read, the director of McLaren is a real weirdo and a crazed germaphobe. He even gets the gravel in his driveway washed. If I was a Mercedes executive I probably wouldn't want to work with him either.
I'm more of a Lotus guy anyway. Colin Chapman never had a problem with getting his hands dirty!
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Noidor 10:12PM (7/05/2008)
You're talking about Ron Dennis...from what Montoya has said...he's a great guy to play golf with, but to work with him can be a nightmare.
JD 10:37PM (7/05/2008)
Yeah, that's Ron Dennis. He's in charge of the Mclaren-Merc F1 team. That's not the guy who's in charge of the road car division, and yeah, he is sorta OCD. I read in Wired that he hired someone whose job is exclusively to make sure no light bulbs are burned out in their Tech Center in England, and he has the gravel in his gravel driveway washed regularly.
Artie Lange 10:32PM (7/05/2008)
They never caught on as Supercars for several reasons:
1. They were very ugly
2. Their marque made over 30 other different models, and half a dozen other high-performance variants (AMG models), making them not only "common" from a brand perspective, but also injecting some question about their performance bona fides vis-a-vis their diverse model line
3. While their raw numbers were certainly in supercar territory, they gennerally got poor reviews
#2 may not make sense to many, but from a marketing sense, it makes a lot of sense. Super/hypercars are not only about numbers, but about exclusivity. Yes, the SLR cars' performance numbers were impressive, and their price were certainly stratospheric, but they were still just a Mercedes, and they wore the same badge that every other Mercedes possessed. There is a perception that super/hypercars should could from builders who specialize in super/hypercars, not builders who make everything from oversized go karts (Smarts) to minivans (R class) and SUVs (M class).
If Mercedes wants to compete with the likes of Ferrari and Aston Martin, they'd be better off creating a new brand like they did for the Maybach.
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