It's no secret that Gordon Murray, the man behind the McLaren F1, has been working on a city car called the Type 25. It appears now, though, that the lure of the supercar is still strong with him. Autocar magazine discovered recently that Murray is considering a supercar to be built using the build processes he has in mind for the Type 25.
Like the F1, Murray wants a car that is "compact, lightweight, and powered by a high-output" engine. Unlike the F1, Murray wants that engine to be "small capacity," and a 6.1-liter V12 probably doesn't fit that bill.
It's hard to imagine the dinkiness that will be the Type 25 doing double duty as a supercar -- after all, we already have the Brabus Smart for that. But if you add up Gordon Murray; a small-capacity, high-output engine, a compact, lightweight; rigid body structure that will probably employ a fair bit of Caparo's carbon fiber expertise, what do you end up with? Not the McLaren F1... but an F1 car. For the street. And you really can't get enough of those, can you?
Based only on his work to date, history would remember Frank Stephenson as one of the most influential automotive designers of our time. He's credited with the resurrection of the retro hatch – having designed the MINI, Fiat 500 and Alfa MiTo – in addition to a portfolio of lust-worthy supercars for Ferrari and Maserati. It came as a surprise when the American-raised designer left his post as head of the Centro Stile Alfa Romeo, shortly after the Fiat Group hired former Pininfarina designer Lorenzo Ramaciotti to oversee styling for the entire group, and a big question mark had been left lingering over where he would head next.
Questions demand answers, and in due course this has received its own. Emerging reports now indicate that Frank Stephenson is going to McLaren to head up a new design team for its road car division. The development is an interesting one for McLaren, which used its F1 engineers to direct the styling of its previous road cars. However as the company strives to distance itself from Mercedes-Benz in the wake of the departing SLR, it is clear that McLaren hopes to run in the big leagues and go head-to-head with the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini et al. Following in the footsteps of Gordon Murray is no mean feat, but we'll be looking forward to seeing what Stephenson and McLaren have in store for us next.
With a host of new exotics coming out from both Mercedes-Benz and its F1 and erstwhile supercar partner McLaren, the ageing Mercedes SLR McLaren is about to be shown the back door. But not before one last hoorah. And if this illustration is any indication, it will be one rip-roaring, ear-piercing hoorah indeed.
Based on the spy shots that have already surfaced of the SLR McLaren "Speedster" (we don't know if that's what it'll be called officially, but that's the name we've been tossing around), talented illustrator Jon Sibal has crafted the rendering you see above. According to Sibal, the headlights will be the only element of the exterior carried over from previous incarnations of the SLR to the new, more hardcore roofless swan-song. The hood, which previously melded into the A-pillars, is more flat; the nose draws even more direct inspiration from McLaren-Mercedes formula racing cars; the exhaust pipes have been moved into the side vents... oh yeah, and there's no roof. None whatsoever. There's barely any windshield for that matter, just a couple of deflectors. Needless to say, we hope the actual vehicle turns out to be as dramatic as Sibal's conception.
Most rumors in the auto industry surface and are either confirmed or quelled. But here is one that keeps on popping up and has remained unanswered for years.
McLaren teamed up with Mercerdes-Benz back in 1995, and ever since automotive and motorsport journalists alike have been speculating that the German auto giant – which currently holds 40% equity – would buy out the British racing team. However, Mercedes officials have continuously downplayed the suggestion, and no such moves have been made after 12 years of collaboration. The party line from Stuttgart continues unchanged, however McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh is indicating otherwise. Speaking with the International Herald-Tribune (the overseas edition of The New York Times), Whitmarsh said "I would be deeply disturbed if Mercedes had no real interest in acquiring us. I think it's a tangible demonstration of their commitment to this".
If Mercedes did opt to buy out the remaining 60% (or acquire an additional 10.1% to acquire controlling interest), it would seem like odd timing. Despite competing at the front for many seasons running now, the collaborative effort of the two outfits in Formula One hasn't yielded a championship since 1999, to say nothing of the parting of company which the two have undertaken to replace the Mercedes SLR McLaren independently.
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.
Storms swept through Silverstone this year for the British Grand Prix. First came the announcement of David Coulthard's retirement from Formula 1, which was followed by the announcement that, starting in 2010, the race would leave its historic home at Silverstone and move to Donington Park.
The decision by Formula One Management and the FIA followed years of calls for the ageing Silverstone track -- owned and operated by the British Drivers Racing Club -- to renovate and get itself up to the modern standards set by F1's newer tracks. However, after failing to secure government funding or sufficient private investment, the decision was made to move the event to Donington. So as the storms set in to close two major chapters of British motor racing history, the rain poured down on the penultimate running of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
It's hard not to follow a story like the veritable fleet of new supercars set to follow the controversial Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. The supercar came out of the partnership between Benz and McLaren in Formula One, but while the racing cars have been highly competitive, the SLR has been less so. As a result, Mercedes and McLaren are going their own separate ways for the next generation of high-performance exotica.
Mercedes, with in-house rodders AMG and its racing spin-off, HWA, is preparing two new models to succeed the SLR: the SL65 AMG Black Series (which has been spied many times over) and the SLC (which we've seen disguised in Dodge Viper bodywork). McLaren, meanwhile, is anticipated to produce the new P11 mid-engined supercar on its own, without Mercedes input. The dissolution of the car-producing enterprise between the two powerhouses is not expected to affect their joint grand prix racing program.
The last iteration of the SLR – following the original coupe, the Roadster and the 722 – will be a limited-production lightweight speedster, on which we recently reported. Despite all its available variants, Mercedes has sold fewer than 1600 examples of the SLR to date.
Following yesterday's revelation that Mercedes and McLaren were preparing to launch a special lightweight version of their SLR supercar, a batch of spy shots plus a spy video have surfaced, giving us a sneak peek at the limited-edition roadster prior to its anticipated unveiling by McLaren-Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton towards the end of the month.
The images – which appear to have been released by the manufacturer itself – confirm our previous report that the roofless supercar will have little in the way of protection from the elements, with an F1-sized wind deflector screen as the only thing between the driver and the wind rushing by at breakneck speeds. Inspired by the original '50's-era 300 SLR, the new speedster will be faster than any previous SLR and be built in a small serial of 75 examples.
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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.
The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren may be on its way out, but that doesn't mean there can't be more horsepower extracted from the supercar. The original had 617hp. Then came the SLR 722, which despite its name had 650 horses underhood. The 722's American importer, RENNtech, addressed the perception gap with its first package, boosting output to an eponymous 722hp. Never satisfied to leave well enough alone, RENNtech has now released its second package for the SLR 722 that further boosts power to 740 thanks to a revised ECU and a freer-flowing exhaust system.
While RENNtech's PKG1 went for a solid $12,900 (come on, what's a lousy $13k on the price of such a supercar?), the new PKG2 costs a heftier $26,990, plus an extra $7,800 for the optional Signature 10-spoke 20-inch rims, which can be had in chrome, satin-ceramic or "sniper gray" finishes. The SLR won't be leaving without a final swan song.
