Click above for a hi-res gallery of the SLR Speedster.
The shutterbugs at KGP have captured the forthcoming McLaren SLR Speedster as it hits the Nordschleife for some testing. The car's expected to be lighter but just as powerful as the standard SLR and SLR Roadster, meaning it could conceivably be able to blow their respective doors off. A top end of 220 mph should be available to those who like to stare down the Reaper for kicks, and KGP reports that the car could be unveiled by the end of the month with one Lewis Hamilton behind the wheel.
Click for hi-res gallery of the McMerc SLR Roadster.
Mercedes and McLaren are preparing to head their own separate ways for the next batch of supercars – including the Mercedes SLC, SL65 AMG Black Series and McLaren P11 – but not before one last hurrah. Emerging reports from Germany indicate that the two companies, which are anticipated to continue collaboration on the race track, will soon unveil one last special edition of the SLR before the controversial supercar speeds off towards the horizon and into the setting sun.
The final iteration of the SLR is reported to be a lightweight speedster with neither roof nor windscreen, just a small deflector. Thanks in part to the removal of air conditioning and power windows (neither of which are needed when you don't have a roof anyway), curb weight has been trimmed by about 200 kilos (approximately 440 pounds), and promises to rip your head right off with a top speed of 350 km/h (217 mph), some 13 km/h over the previous top-dog SLR 722's maximum velocity. Only 75 examples will be produced, at a price of €450,000. Oh, and Lewis Hamilton is said to have something to do with the project, which is inspired by the legendary 1955 300 SLR Silver Arrows. Stay tuned for more details, with initial images reportedly due to surface tomorrow.
OK, we've seen some of their previous work so we probably shouldn't have expected much more this time around, but when we heard that Mansory had gotten its hands on an SLR and a Ferrari 599 GTB, we certainly hoped that it would figure out a way to enhance their gotta-have-it quotients. Alas, our prayers went unanswered. Done up in a matte gold and black combo, the SLR looks a bit toy-like, but it should manage to sell in the single digits at least. Which digit you choose to count the sales is up to you. The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano had actually been criticized in some camps for being a bit too evocative of the Chevrolet Corvette when it was first shown. The Mansory edition done up in white and carbon fiber looks even more Vette-like to our eyes. Thoughts of a ZR1 or the recent 427 special edition Z06 leapt to mind. There was also a Phantom in the booth, but quite honestly, doing something outrageous to a Roller just doesn't offend us as badly. Take a look at the gallery and let us know if you agree. We've already heard from at least one other journo who happened to be winding his way down the road towards us that the 599 looks seriously racy and that we are dead wrong about it. We'll let you decide for yourselves. Click away.
Click on the images to view our high-resolution gallery
Some will say for better, others will say for worse, but one way or another, the Mercedes SLR McLaren is the supercar that refuses to go quietly into the night. It was previewed by the Vision SLR concept way back in 1999, and since entering limited production in 2003, the Anglo-Saxon supercar has performed disappointingly both on the road and in the market. But rather than allowing it to slip away, Mercedes has repeatedly given it new transfusions with the Roadster, 722 and most recently the 722 GT derivatives. The SLR, in all its incarnations, is about due for retirement, so where has it gone? To Florida, of course!
RENNtech, the Sunshine State-based Mercedes tuner par excellence, has been given the exclusive contract to import and distribute the long-named and long-nosed Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 GT in North America. RENNtech, which, as we reported earlier, tuned the SLR road car to actually produce 722 hp, will offer an allotment of 21 examples of the factory SLR 722 GT track-day special, each available at about $1.2 million.
To sweeten the deal, RENNtech is setting up a full track-day program for the SLR 722 GT owners, including set-up and maintenance by specialized technicians, opportunity to learn the track behind the wheel of its special SLR karts (pictured, right) and instruction from professional drivers (David Coulthard, although no longer affiliated with McLaren, is claimed to be on board).
To celebrate the arrival of the sharpest (and potentially last) version of the SLR to American shores, we've got a whole mess of new photos for you... just click on the gallery below. (Full press release after the jump.)
The year 2010 will mark the next phase in the continuing odyssey of Mercedes' efforts in the supercar arena. The supercoupe W197, tipping a hat to its massively iconic forebear, the 300SL, will sport gullwing doors and probably more than a hint of the 300's curvy, 50's face.
Developed by AMG, the engine people are talking about is a V8 with 620-HP sitting in a tubular frame chassis. All those ponies will, of course, power the round rubbery things in the back. The design hasn't been seen yet, but the renderings make the car look like an aftermarket kit SL front end with an SLR-ish rear. We hope it doesn't end up looking like that.
Mercedes expects to move 3,000 to 5,000 of the beasts every year. The lower number is more than Lamborghini sells of its two models, and the higher number is almost as many as Ferrari sells of its three. If the rumored price tag of $250,000 is accurate, then we can't wait to see how the car runs, and how the car sells.
It pains us to see a dead horse beaten so rigorously, but the folks at Mercedes have yet to stop. But then, they did paid a lot for that horse.
The SLR project that then-Daimler-Benz undertook in partnership with its F1 racing partner, McLaren, never went as well as hoped. Sales were disappointing, and although the car's performance put it into the upper echelons of autodom, it never succeeded at giving its competition a real run for their money. And at half a million bucks, it's a lot of money to run for.
Rather than cut their loses, Mercedes and McLaren have opted instead to turn out additional derivations. After the "standard" SLR coupe came the 722, which was widely derided for having ruined the ride with little additional benefit. A racing version, dubbed 722 GT, followed. Rumors circulated long ago that additional body-styles were under consideration – what are they talking about, a shooting brake? – but only the open-air version made it to production.
The SLC cometh. Mr. H. Lehmann and crew caught an early development mule out testing, and word is that the car will likely get its grunt from a front-mounted 6.2-liter V8 provided by AMG. In natural guise it would put out 500 bhp, but with a few blowers that could easily be "remedied" to 700 or so.
The SLC will be focused more on sport than luxury, and though based on the next-gen SL and sharing many of it parts, it will use carbon fiber throughout, including its hard top. We'll have to see what kind of weight specs (and body) are eventually revealed, but you're looking at Merc's main competitor for Audi's upcoming RS8.
For years, McLaren and Mercedes seemingly went together like peanut butter and jelly, but now HWA is stepping in to tune Mercedes' next supercar. The scribes over at Automotive News Europe say the separation stems from Mercedes' dissatisfaction with the performance of the SLR McLaren vs. its primary rivals. This comes as quite a shock since only a few months back, all signs pointed to Mercedes buying McLaren. It's not exactly as though McLaren and Mercedes are splitting up altogether, though, as it's been less than a month since a drop-dead gorgeous SLR McLaren drop-top was announced.
Power for the HWA-tuned supercar will come from a tweaked version of AMG's hand-built 6.2L engine, and if the SLR performance is less than satisfactory, expect HWA's effort to be flat-out ridiculous. Speaking of AMG, the new supercar will be badged as such to make it road-legal, but it will still be a full-blown HWA race-developed product. To make room for its latest project, HWA is tripling the size of its manufacturing facilities to 3,600 sq. ft. to the tune of €4.5 million.
We find it almost comical that McLaren's 3.5 second 0-60 time and 640hp aren't enough to suit the finicky folks in Stuttgart, but with Corvettes and Vipers on the way with the same power for a quarter of the price, Mercedes had to do something to raise the already ridiculously-high bar.
Looking for a way to be seen while you drive around in a vehicle that says you have an oversupply of funding coupled with a shortage of sense? Presented for your approval, the obscenely fast Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren roadster. Just like the fixed-roof SLR, the styling cues lifted from 1950's racing glory are present in the scoopage, and the supercharged V8 can crank you right up to 207mph. That's enough to suck the hair plugs right out of your scalp should you attempt that velocity with the top retracted. It is cool to see the uber-exclusive Benz tooling around and ogle the doors that remind us of chopsaws. Funny, though, all that money, and you still get a fabric roof, while the lowly MX-5 can be had with a natty retractable hardtop.
We've seen it in spy shots, but now we get to officially see the newest hotness from Mercedes Benz: the SLR McLaren Roadster.
In an effort to inject some more life into the slow-selling Mercedes/McLaren halo, engineers lopped off the roof to make one of the fastest open-air motoring experiences this side of a sportbike. Naturally, they just didn't whip out the sawsall and go to town. Instead, the new roof is made from that most delectable of materials – carbon fiber. The retractable roof isn't the only thing that gets the C.F. reinforced plastic treatment, as all but two of the body frames, made of aluminum, utilize the exotic compound. Lightweight and untwistable strength are the features du jour.
As for motivation, the SLR Roadster doesn't benefit from the 722's 650 HP V8. Instead, it has to make due with the standard SLR's 617 HP supercharged mill, allowing the drop top to hit its velocity climax of 207 MPH – blow drying has never been made easier, or more fun.
Those willing to drop the coin on the McMerc convertible will be able to choose from three different roof colors, and according to Mercedes, two passengers can have a comfortable conversation at 125 MPH with the top down. Before doing so, the occupants will have to manually (for shame!) unlatch the roof, push upwards, then let the motor bring the roof down into its home – and underneath an aluminum cover – in a scant 10 seconds.
Only 1,000 of the roof deprived, a-pillar reinforced, and rollover hoop equipped SLR Roadsters will be available and customers will begin taking delivery this September. Pricing: £350 large. The press release is available after the jump and be sure to check out our gallery below.
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