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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.)
[Source: RENNtech]
Press Release
Lake Park, FL - 18DEC2007 - Officially official: Mercedes-Benz' SLR
McLaren 722 GT, available exclusively at RENNtech.
While Mercedes' ultra-exclusive SLR McLaren 722 GT track car has been
making rounds in the motoring press for several weeks now, a few key
questions remained unanswered - including "How much?" and "Where can
I get one?"
We can answer the "How much?" question rather easily (795,000 €, or
about 1.2 million USD), it's the "Where can I get one?" question
that's more interesting.
As of Monday, Dec. 17, 2007, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 GT
will be made available to the North American market exclusively
through RENNtech, the Florida-based MB tuning house owned and
operated by super-tuner Hartmut Feyhl, who also lists "technical
director, AMG North America" on his resume. "It's been a very
exciting project to be involved in," explains Feyhl.
Similar in concept to Ferrari's Enzo FXX program, the 722 GT is built
specifically for track use by renowned British motorsports
specialists at the RML Group to be the fastest possible on a track.
The SLR 722 GT offers impressive power and cornering and delivers
exactly the kind of motorsports experience one would expect from a
competition car - and, with only 21 examples of the hyper-exclusive
track cars being offered for sale, driving one is sure be a special
occasion.
RENNtech will be organizing several on-track events (to be announced)
throughout the US, beginning in 2008.
The SLR 722 GT trackcars will be set-up and maintained by RENNtech,
which will have specially trained technicians and engineers on hand
at each of the planned on-track events, which will follow a format
similar to the SLR.Club SAFETY & SPEED ACADEMY track weekends in
Europe. Participating customers will receive a mix of on and off-
track instruction by trained instructors and professional drivers
(including Jochen Mass, David Coulthard, and others), as well as some
track time in RENNtech's Aixro SLR.Karts - to get a good feel for
each track before going out in their SLRs.
Feyhl explained that the concept is to deliver to SLR McLaren
customers a true and authentic motorsports experience in a
competitive and reasonably safe environment.
If it is RENNtech and Mercedes' goal to deliver "an authentic
experience", the SLR McLaren 722 GT is a great place to start -
compared to the road-going SLR, the 722 GT gets the full FIA GT
treatment from RML: more than 400 redesigned components, FIA spec.
safety equipment, fully adjustable suspension, full-on competition
brake hardware, a no-nonsense interior, and a track-only exhaust
system that bumps the 722 GT's output to well over 670 hp. The real
game-changers, however, are the 722 GT's towering rear wing and
drastically reduced weight. At 1390 kg, the 722 GT weighs some six-
hundred pounds less (!) than the stock 722, and the rear wing (in
conjunction with the car's front splitter) provide more than enough
aerodynamic downforce to tackle the fastest turns with confidence.
The 722 GT also benefits from years of wind-tunnel and CFD
(Computational Fluid Dynamics) experience at RML and McLaren, making
the wings and body mods much more than an aesthetic package.
Everything on the car, every vent and louvre, is fully functional - a
terrific enhancement to on-track performance.
With more power, less weight, and dramatically improved handling, the
limited-edition Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 GT, one thing is
certain: if you love cars, love racing, and have the money (but not
the time) to campaign a full-on race series, the 722 GT is your ticket.
Contact RENNtech for more.
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