SLR
McLaren / MercedesWhat happens when German carmaker Mercedes Benz joins forces with McLaren Automotive? You get one of most celebrated supercars ever built: The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. SLR stands for “Sport, Light, Racing”, which gives you a pretty good idea of what made this supercar so appealing. The designers and developers of the SLR were driven by the idea of taking the speed and handling of Formula 1 racing to the road as a production car. Ambitious? Yes, but team McLaren Mercedes refused to back down. The result was a functional, versatile supercar, comfortable with both a Sunday drive through the country, or a power drive around the track. Sold from 2003 to 2009, prominent owners of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren include: Michael Jordan, Paris Hilton, Carl Freer, Jay Leno, Robbie Williams and Ja Rule.
| Make | McLaren / Mercedes |
| Model | SLR |
| Year | 2008 |
| Horsepower | 617 hp |
| Engine | 5.4 L (5,439 cc) supercharged M155 SLR V8 |
| Transmission | 5-speed automatic |
| Production Year | 2008 |
| Amount Produced | 2,157 |
The roots of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren could be traced back to the 1950s, an era which marked both the best and worst in auto racing for Mercedes-Benz. The German manufacturer has been involved throughout its history in motorsports.
In 2006 the SLR was succeeded by the more powerful and slightly more aggressive styled Mercedes-Benz SLR Mclaren 722 Edition. The number ‘722’ refers to the starting number of Stirling Moss’ Mille Miglia winning Mercedes Benz 300 SLR. The engine of the 722 Edition was upgraded and delivered now 650hp. The performance increased as well, the 722 Edition sprints from standstill to 100km/h in only 3.6 seconds, and 200km/h is reached in just 10.2 seconds. The maximum speed of 337km/h is above the 334km/h of the standard SLR. Furthermore the brakes increased in size, and the exterior received a small upgrade as well. In addition to the coupe version a roadster version of the SLR entered the market in 2007. The convertible featured the same power plant and specs as its closed sibling.
One year later the exclusively for the racetrack-designed SLR 722 GT was unveiled, whereby the suspension, braking system, aerodynamics, interior and exhaust system were modified for the track by British engineering company RML Group. The engineers shed almost 400kg of weight, resulting in a dry weight to 1,300kg. Due to the supercharger’s 1.75 bar boost, the maximum output increased to 680hp and 830Nm of torque. This enabled the SLR 722 GT to accelerate from standstill to 100km/h in 3.3 seconds. The production of the most powerful SLR was limited to only 21 units.
