When the McLaren-Mercedes team rolled out their chrome F1 cars, everyone stood up and took notice. Pretty cool idea, even fans (and members) of other teams had to admit. No wonder then that with their own supercar out on the roads – one of only two teams with that claim – somebody has finally done the same with his own SLR. And of course, like the gold-trimmed Camry, that somebody lives in the United Arab Emirates, the sand-swept Kingdom of Bling on the shores of the Persian Gulf. The shiny McLaren was spotted outside one of the world's largest shopping centers, the Mall of the Emirates, in Dubai, which looks to be the same place where the Pegaso edition Bugatti Veyron was spotted. The mall is currently the largest in the Middle East, at least until construction is completed on the two larger ones also being built in Dubai. We're sure it won't be long until someone parks chrome McLaren P11s, Mercedes SL63 Blacks or AMG Gullwings in front of those, too.
Hamann is continuing to expand its lineup to include the top tier of luxurious performance, and it looks like the tuner has finally turned its attention to the Mercedes SLR McLaren. A teaser video has been released, showing the conservatively named "Volcano" SLR sporting three-piece deep-dish wheels, two-tone paint, massive rear wheel arches, roof scoop, rear diffuser and wing. Details are limited right now, but we suspect more information will leak its way out before the SEMA show next month. In the meantime, hit the jump to view the video.
more ...
It's the end of the run for the McLaren SLR Roadster, but Mercedes wants to give Yanks another shot at owning one. Beginning November 1, those of you who still have bank accounts can sign up for the auction of the final topless SLR to be sold in the U.S. You'd be right to assume the final edition of a limited run model would bring a huge premium when it goes on the block, as collectors have always put higher values on the first and last of most anything. But if you plan to take this particular knick-knack home, prepare to drain both savings accounts. Mercedes says the car will be the only SLR Roadster wearing Sienna Pearl metallic paint and Tobacco Brown leather. So when you show up to accept your Oscar, no one else will be driving the same one.
Certain cars encourage a response that is as routine and predictable as the reaction to a stoplight, and the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 S Roadster is one of those cars. This is what happens every time someone gets in one, irrespective of their age, sex, or nationality: she snuggles into the seat, looks into the footwell to make sure her feet are placed just so on the pedals, slides her hands around the steering wheel for a couple of seconds to find just the right position, snuggles into the seat again... and then she just sits there, staring off into the distance. She might flip the paddles once or twice, or check out the center console. Then it's back to the thousand yard stare at the wall in front of her. She gets her picture taken, notices the line of people waiting to do the same thing, and it's all repeated again and again. And for good reason – the SLR McLaren 722 S Roadster is topless testosterone-topped terrificality. 650 horsepower from a supercharged 5.5L V8 and a convertible soft top that'll stay put above 208 mph deserves the attention.
As the era of the Mercedes McLaren SLR winds down to its conclusion sometime in 2009, Mercedes-Benz is releasing what may be the ultimate example of the breed. The SLR 722 S Roadster picks up where the 722 coupe left off dropping the 650-hp supercharged 5.5L V8 into the open top body shell. With a top speed of 220.6 mph, this may be the fastest open top production car ever built. And unlike the first generation Dodge Viper, Mercedes has devised a soft top that can withstand sustained 200 mph+ top speeds. Mercedes has tapped into McLaren's F1 experience to create the fully carbon-fiber body that can provide the structural integrity needed at those speeds. The semi-automatic top just needs to be unlatched from the windshield header manually before the rest of the process is handled by the electrical actuators. The vehicle dynamics are also aided by dropping the suspension by 10 mm at each end of the car and recalibrating the spring and damper rates. Only 150 examples of the 722 S Roadster will be made available starting Jan. 1 2009.
They have got to be kidding. Another SLR derivative? Before the Mercedes-McLaren supercar speeds off into the horizon, it will have spawned no less than six different versions - including the original coupe, the Roadster, 722, 722 GT, the upcoming "Speedster", and this latest variant - if the latest reports are to be believed. We would have thought that the spied Speedster version would have been the last, but then spy shots surface of what appears to be a 722 Roadster.This undisguised vehicle carries all the visual cues of the 722 edition coupe: the dark grey 19" forged alloys hiding red brake calipers over oversized discs, plus the carbon fiber lip spoiler and darkened taillight clusters. The convertible can be expected to carry the same 650-hp supercharged V8 as the 722 coupe, only with the nifty hard-soft top from the roadster. By the state of readiness evident from these spy shots, we'd venture that the 722 Roadster will appear before the Speedster. And we trust that will be the end of the SLR... until someone says otherwise, of course.
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.
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.
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.
more ...
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.
