Martin
Whitmarsh, managing director of McLaren, has been quoted by GrandPrix.com as saying that the company is working with
Mercedes-Benz to develop a successor to the Mercedes-Benz
SLR.
Whitmarsh says, “The level of interest in McLaren from Mercedes-Benz is higher than it has ever
been. There is a clear commitment to be in F1 in the long term and refreshed interest in road car activities. I think it
is increasingly likely that there will be a range of sportscars designed in Woking in the future.” (Woking is the
home of the McLaren Technology Center, where the SLR is manufactured.)
The SLR supercar is widely regarded
as a technical tour de force, but a failure in the marketplace, and a somewhat disappointing follow-on to the legendary
McLaren F1 road car. Hopefully, the lessons learned from the SLR experience
will give future road car programs a better chance at success.