Autoblog

They have got to be kidding. Another SLR derivative? Before the Mercedes-McLaren supercar speeds off into the horizon, it will have spawned no less than six different versions - including the original coupe, the Roadster, 722, 722 GT, the upcoming "Speedster", and this latest variant - if the latest reports are to be believed. We would have thought that the spied Speedster version would have been the last, but then spy shots surface of what appears to be a 722 Roadster.

This undisguised vehicle carries all the visual cues of the 722 edition coupe: the dark grey 19" forged alloys hiding red brake calipers over oversized discs, plus the carbon fiber lip spoiler and darkened taillight clusters. The convertible can be expected to carry the same 650-hp supercharged V8 as the 722 coupe, only with the nifty hard-soft top from the roadster. By the state of readiness evident from these spy shots, we'd venture that the 722 Roadster will appear before the Speedster. And we trust that will be the end of the SLR... until someone says otherwise, of course.

[Source: World Car Fans]

Click image for a hi-res gallery of the Brabus SLR and its tender

Megayachts usually come with fancy tenders, so why not supercars, too? BRABUS has taken the idea and run with it, pairing one of its tuned McLaren SLR Roadsters with a matching runabout in the form of a smart fortwo-based ULTIMATE 112. The SLR is the beneficiary of the usual complement of upgrades, including a full body and trim kit (dig those carbon fiber replacement "gills"), a custom interior, and the requisite underhood tweaking, which bestows the roadster with 650 horsepower -- enough to make the Kessel run to 62 mph in 3.6 seconds, with a top end of 211 mph.

When its time to park the super-Merc and head into more constrained areas of the city, it's occupants can switch over to the car's ULTIMATE 112 "tender" which is finished and appointed to perfectly match its "mothership." In this case, that means the same white paint, deep red roof fabric, and right red leather interior -- right down to the waffle-patterned leather footwell trim. Of course, the little shuttlecraft gets a power bump as well, with 112 thundering horses prancing ponies under the wee bonnet. The cost of this matching set? A mere €699,000 gets the job done for owners of either an SLR or a Maybach, and it shows us that BRABUS is uniquely capable of finding new and innovative ways to separate the obscenely wealthy from large chunks of their money.

The BRABUS press release gets into the minutiae after the jump.


[Source: BRABUS]

Click the image above for a gallery of high-res pics.

Of all the products in Mercedes' stable that could benefit from a thorough tweaking, the McLaren SLR isn't one of them. But Brabus has built its name on taking things to the illogical extreme, and its modification of the new SLR Roadster is no different.

Equipped with a new set of cams, exhaust and a system to cool the fuel, the blown V8 now produces an additional 23 HP that's sent through the stock transmission and down to a clutch-type LSD. 0-to-60 times drop down to 3.6 seconds and the top speed has been increased to 209 mph.

A new carbon fiber front spoiler and rear diffuser, tuned by Brabus in the wind tunnel, reduces lift at speed, while the factory rolling stock has been ditched in favor of 9.5x20-inch wheels in front and 11.5x20-inch hoops in the rear. Inside, the Teutonic tuners offer well-to-do buyers nearly unlimited upholstery designs, along with a flat-bottom steering wheel with integrated paddles to swap cogs on the McMerc's automatic gearbox.

The full rundown on Brabus' tweaks can be viewed in the press release after the jump, and naturally, there's a corresponding gallery below.

Click the photo for a gallery of high-res shots of the 1999 Vision SLR concept

Mercedes Benz originally showed off the Vision SLR coupe at the 1999 Detroit Auto Show, followed by the roadster version of the same car in September of that year in Frankfurt. In 2004 a production version of the SLR coupe finally arrived courtesy of Mercedes' F1 partner, McLaren. Yesterday, The Car Connection reported that Mercedes has now confirmed that they will finally introduce a open-top version of the SLR beginning this summer. No further details are available yet, although something might be announced at the Geneva Auto Show next month.

[Source: The Car Connection]

Click to enlarge

That's what the British magazine Auto Express is reporting.

According to them, the Woking, Surrey-built droptop will be unveiled within the next six months.

Based on the Vision SLR Roadster concept car (above), the supposed production version will share its coupe sibling's power and performance credentials. Prospective customers should expect to have their wallets lightened by around £350,000 ($667K USD).

Assuming the information is accurate, it's a welcome development. By the time the ragtop appears, at least three years will have passed since the production coupe's launch, and save for the recent 722 variant, nothing has really changed. A convertible SLR should have sex appeal to spare and will re-energize the motoring press, enthusiasts, and the well-heeled jet-setters who find themselves in the enviable position to buy one. Stay tuned.

Thanks for the tip, Omar!

[Source: Auto Express}