View Poll Results: Mercedes-Benz SLR Mclaren vs Ford GT

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  • Mercedes-Benz SLR Mclaren

    68 49.28%
  • Ford GT

    70 50.72%
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Thread: Mercedes-Benz SLR Mclaren vs Ford GT

  1. #1
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    Mercedes-Benz SLR Mclaren vs Ford GT

    Well, i've seen this comparative on a site, and so im doing it here...
    Some info.

    Mercedes-Benz SLR Mclaren:

    The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren revives the glorious tradition of the SLR and marks the reawakening of Mercedes-Benz' passion for super sports cars. It is a passion which can be traced way back through automotive history and which was demon-strated with the Uhlenhaut Coupe. A contemporary interpretation of stylistic elements lifted from the original SLR and design details taken from the 2003 Formula 1 Silver Arrows allow the 21st-century SLR to form a bridge between the past and the future, bringing cutting-edge motorsport technology to the road, just as the inspirational SLR Coupe did in 1955.

    The new super sports car allows Mercedes-Benz and its Formula 1 partner McLaren to showcase their collective experience in the development, construction and production of high-performance sports cars. This combination of knowledge and expertise is evident not only in the host of pioneering developments, impressive performance figures and superior driving characteristics of the SLR, but also in the extremely high levels of safety and practicality which it offers. These attributes come together to form the basis for an automobile with a very special charisma - an impressive synthesis of Mercedes tradition and innovation in every respect.

    Just like its legendary predecessor of 1955, this SLR incorporates new technological developments which are ahead of their time. For evidence, simply take a glance under the bonnet at the Mercedes-AMG V8 powerplant. With its 5.5-litre displacement and screw-type compressor, the engine develops a peak output of 460 kW/626 hp and delivers its maximum torque of 780 Newtonmetres from 3250 rpm - a figure which remains constant across a broad engine speed range of up to 5000 rpm. With this kind of power under the bonnet, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren delivers performance figures which are among the best in its class: this high-performance sports car takes just 3.8 seconds to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h, it passes the 200 km/h mark after 10.6 seconds, and from a standing start it takes just 28.8 seconds to reach 300 km/h. The two-seater has a top speed of 207 mph (334 km/h).

    In the interests of optimum weight distribution, optimum dynamic handling and high stability on braking, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren has a front mid-engined design. The V8 powerplant is mounted on a robust aluminium frame and has a low installation position. Water-type charge-air cooling, three valves per cylinder, dry sump lubrication and four metal catalytic converters are further special features of this powerful engine - an engine which already meets stringent EU 4 exhaust gas regulations which are not due to come into force until 2005.

    Engine & Transmission

    When developing the powerplant, the AMG engineers applied both the expertise they had acquired during their three-decade involvement in motorsport and the stringent standards of the Mercedes-Benz brand. After an extensive concept phase, they decided in favour of an 8-cylinder design with a 5.5-litre displacement, a cylinder angle of 90 degrees, a screw-type compressor and a crankshaft supported by five bearings.

    The result is impressive: from a mere 1500 rpm, the SLR powerplant delivers torque of over 600 Newtonmetres, rising to 700 Newtonmetres at 2000 rpm. The maximum of 780 Newtonmetres is available from 3250 rpm and remains constant in a broad engine speed range up to 5000 rpm As the figures indicate, the new SLR is endowed with what is currently one of the most powerful engines to be found in a series-produced roadgoing sports car.

    The design of the powerplant's oil cooling system is also based on experience gathered in the world of motor racing: a sophisticated dry sump lubrication system with an oil capacity of around eleven litres, combined with a five-stage oil suction pump and a two-stage oil pressure pump, ensures reliable lubrication under all on-road conditions. An important side effect of this technology is that, because of the dry sump lubrication, usually only used in motor racing vehicles, the engine is less tall and can therefore be installed at a lower level, allowing a low centre of gravity which benefits dynamic handling.

    Following the usual practice at Mercedes-AMG, each SLR engine is manufactured by hand. In order to achieve the highest quality, the principle of 'one man, one engine' is applied. This means that each powerplant is the responsibility of one AMG engineer, who carries out the entire engine assembly process - from installing the crankshaft in the engine block and assembling the camshafts and the compressor to cabling.

    Power from screw-type compressor

    To ensure good cylinder charging, the engine has a mechanical compressor with two screw-type aluminium rotors which, in the interests of low friction losses, are Teflon-coated. The charger is so compact that the engine specialists were able to install it between the two cylinder banks of the V8 powerplant. Despite the space-saving design, its innovative technology allows a significantly higher charge pressure than conventional mechanical chargers because the two rotors achieve a top speed of around 23,000 revs per minute, forcing air into the air inlet of the 5.5-litre powerplant at a maximum pressure of 0.9 bar. This means that they compress around 1850 kilograms of air into the eight combustion chambers per hour - which is up to 30 percent more than the figure achieved by rival charging systems.

    In order to ensure the greatest possible efficiency, the AMG engineers created an intelligent engine management system which regulates the operation of the screw-type compressor according to the engine speed and load. This means that the charger is only active when it is needed. Nevertheless, the system ensures that the maximum output is available as soon as the driver calls it up by stepping on the accelerator. When this occurs, the electronics of the engine management system trigger an electromagnetic coupling which immediately activates the compressor, which is powered by a separate poly-V-belt. Because the charger delivers its output in fractions of a second, even the most perceptive driver will not notice the phases without charger support. The charger system's air recirculation flap, opened under partial load, helps reduce fuel consumption.

    The first automated production of carbon fibre composite components

    To date, carbon fibre composite components for racing cars and for the aeronautical and space industries have been manufactured by hand - a time-consuming process. The challenge for the Mercedes engineers was to use their experience in this field to develop automated methods of series production. To do this they divided the manufacturing process into separate stages, manufacturing of the preform being followed by impregnation with resin and hardening.

    In order to allow extensive automation of the preform manufacturing process (the preform also being made from carbon fibre), the materials experts at Mercedes-Benz cast a glance at the work of their colleagues in the textile industry and adapted traditional manufacturing methods used in this sector, such as sewing, knitting, weaving and braiding, for the processing of high-performance carbon fibres.

    In a further manufacturing process, a computer-controlled tufting machine joins the inner web to the braid of the longitudinal member. The braid core is removed and the preform of the longitudinal member is cut to the correct size. The preform is then injected with resin. Several, now patented, solutions had to be developed and tested in order to ensure short cycle times and high repeat precision for this manufacturing process - crucial qualities in series production. The manufacture of the complex fibre struc-ture of the longitudinal members using a braiding machine requires a cycle time of just twelve minutes, which illustrates the unit potential that this innovative manufacturing technology offers.

    Ceramic brake discs for top performance

    Mercedes-Benz has optimised the outstanding properties of the Sensotronic Brake Control system in the new SLR with a braking system which also marks a technological high-point in a high-performance car: at the front and rear axle of the cutting-edge swing-wing door vehicle, brake discs made from fibre-reinforced ceramic ensure reliable deceleration. Their development is based on the one hand on the results of DaimlerChrysler materials research and on the other on Mercedes-AMG's experience of high-tech brakes in touring cars and GT sport. Here Mercedes-Benz yet again underlines its leading role in the development of groundbreaking technologies for car production.

    In manufacturing the brake discs, the carbon fibre, powdered carbon and resin are pressed into shape at high pressure and baked with a silicon infiltration at temperatures of around 1500 Celsius to form the ceramic. The advantages of this composite material are considerable: in addition to being characterised by an extremely sensitive response, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren's brake discs demonstrate a high temperature-resistance of up to 1000 Celsius, which produces a fade-resistance when braking at high speed never before achieved in a series-produced car. The result is brake power of up to 2000 hp.

    Adaptable rear spoiler as airbrake

    The outstanding performance of the SLR is also aided by the adaptable spoiler - known as the airbrake - in the boot lid. If the driver steps heavily on the brake pedal, the rear spoiler rises to an angle of 65 degrees, boosting the braking effect by producing greater aerodynamic drag. When braking from high speeds, it lends the SLR outstanding stability.

    In most situations the electronics control the airbrake as required. However, the driver can also opt to take control of the adjustments using the switch in the centre console, manually
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by McLareN; 10-13-2004 at 04:12 AM.

  2. #2
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    Ford GT:

    Design: Concept to Reality

    Ford’s GT40 concept car was created to celebrate that great era in history and look forward to the great years to come. Unveiled at the 2002 North American International Auto Show, the GT40 concept became an instant sensation. And just 45 days after the vehicle was unveiled, Ford stunned the world again, officially announcing that a production version was in the works.

    “The Ford GT is the ultimate Living Legend,” explains J Mays, Ford vice president of design. “It’s a true supercar with appeal equal to that of the greatest sports cars in the world but with the addition of a heritage no one can match. Essential elements of the original – including the stunning low profile and mid-mounted American V-8 engine – continue in this latest interpretation of the classic.”

    Although the new production car and the original race car both share the mystique of the Ford GT name, they do not share a single dimension. The new car is more than 18 inches longer and stands nearly 4 inches taller. Its new lines draw upon and refine the best features of Ford GT history and express the car’s identity through modern proportion and surface development.

    Contrary to typical vehicle development programs, the engineering challenge was to build the supercar foundation within the concept’s curvaceous form – and to build it in record time for Ford’s centennial. The well-defined project afforded the engineering team early insight: This car required a new way of doing business since the concept car was only 5 percent production-feasible.

    Body engineers sought new techniques to shape the car’s sexy lines because normal stamping techniques couldn’t deliver these curves. But would the curvy door panels accommodate the requisite slide-down window? After extensive computer modeling and concessions by designers and package engineers, the window freely moved within the door panel. Aerodynamicists couldn’t bend the exterior sheet metal; instead, they came up with unique solutions under the body.

    The result: a technological wonder wrapped in the Ford GT40 concept form.

    “It’s amazing that we’ll show the first cars just a little more than a year after we started the program,” says John Coletti, director of SVT programs. “That’s a real tribute to the people, processes and technology behind the cars.”

    The Ford GT production car, like the concept, casts the familiar, sleek look of its namesake, yet every dimension, every curve and every line on the car is a unique reinterpretation of the original. The car features a long front overhang reminiscent of 1960s-era race cars. But its sweeping cowl, subtle accent lines and high-intensity-discharge (HID) headlamps strike a distinctly contemporary pose.

    The front fenders curve over 18-inch wheels and Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires. In the tradition of original Ford GT racers, the doors cut into the roof. Prominent on the leading edge of the rear quarter panel are functional cooling scoops that channel fresh air to the engine. The rear wheel wells, filled with 19-inch wheels and tires, define the rear of the car, while the accent line from the front cowl rejoins and finishes the car’s profile at the integrated “ducktail” spoiler.

    The interior design incorporates the novel “ventilated seats” and instrument layout of the original car, with straightforward analog gauges and a large tachometer. Modern versions of the original car’s toggle switches operate key systems.

    Looking in through the backlight, one finds the essence of the sports car in Ford’s MOD 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 engine. The finishing touches are Ford blue cam covers, each featuring an aluminum coil cover imprinted with the words “Powered by Ford.”

    Innovative Engineering

    A little more than one year ago, Coletti was offered a career opportunity – lead the Ford GT engineering program. The catch: The first three cars were to be delivered for Ford’s Centennial celebration.

    Coletti teamed up with Neil Ressler, a former Ford vice president who left retirement to consult on the program, to quickly select the Ford GT “Dream Team” of engineers and consultants. Neil Hannemann was tapped to be chief program engineer and oversee the day-to-day development of the Ford GT after years of cross-industry supercar engineering assignments.

    The team quickly came up with innovative technologies and processes to deliver on the centennial commitment:

    Computers, Not Prototypes: The Ford GT team relied heavily on computer models to compress the typical first nine months of engineering work into about three months, relying on 10 percent of the usual number of prototypes. The first prototypes were built in less than 100 days after program approval.

    Solid Foundation: The Ford GT team knew this road car would require a stiff structure, much like a race car. As such, they developed an all-aluminum space frame comprising extrusions, castings and several stampings. The hybrid aluminum space frame chassis is based on efficient use of 35 extrusions, seven complex castings, two semi-solid formed castings and various stamped aluminum panels.

    Grand Touring: The new Ford GT is intended for the road, unlike the original 1960’s race cars that ultimately spawned a limited number of production road cars. However, the new car required unique race-like engineering solutions – like engineering out the aerodynamic “lift” inherent in the original car’s design – for a car that will clock in at more than 180 mph.
    All-American V-8: Ford proved it could dominate racing fields, peppered with exotic powerplants, with V-8 engines in the 1960s. The Ford GT motor, the largest V-8 in Ford's modular engine family, carries on that tradition. The engine features 85 percent new moving parts and produces 500 horsepower and 500 foot-pounds of torque. Both figures are comparable to those of the 7.0-liter engine that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966 and 1967.

    Technological Wonder: The Ford GT features many new and unique technologies, including super-plastic-formed aluminum body panels, roll-bonded floor panels, a friction-stir welded center tunnel, a “ship-in-a-bottle” gas tank, a capless fuel filler system, one-piece door panels and an aluminum engine cover with a one-piece carbon-fiber inner panel.
    As on the historic race car, the Ford GT aluminum body panels are unstressed. Instead of the steel or honeycomb-composite tubs used in the 1960s, the Ford GT team developed an all-new aluminum space frame as the foundation. The chassis features unequal-length control arms and coil-over spring-damper units to allow for its low profile.

    Braking is handled by four-piston aluminum Brembo monoblock calipers with cross-drilled and vented rotors at all four corners. When the rear canopy is opened, the rear suspension components and engine become the car’s focal point. Precision-cast aluminum suspension components and 19-inch Goodyear tires – combined with the overwhelming presence of the V-8 engine – create a striking appearance and communicate the performance credentials of the Ford GT.

    The 5.4L powerplant is all-aluminum and fed by an Eaton screw-type supercharger. It features four-valve cylinder heads and forged components, including the crankshaft, H-beam connecting rods and aluminum pistons. The resulting power output is 500 horsepower and 500 foot-pounds of torque.

    The power is put to the road through a Ricardo six-speed manual transaxle featuring a helical limited-slip differential.

    Engine

    For Pardo, the mechanical appearance was an integral part of the Ford GT design: “First, the engine is visible to the driver through the rear-view mirror,” he says. “Second, the engine is displayed under glass, on display to all passers-by. Third, the rear clamshell opens, to expose the beauty of the engine, frame, and suspension components.”

    Thus, the design team took the unusual step of consulting the engineering team on the finish, location and design of every visible surface in the engine bay. The engineers simplified the wiring harnesses, tucked ignition cables under a polished aluminum cover and added Ford blue cam covers, each featuring aluminum coil covers imprinted with the words “Powered by Ford.”

    Even the shape and finish of the space frame was considered. “We didn't want the Ford GT to look like a stock car, with off-the-shelf tubes welded together,” says Pardo. “Instead, we worked to make sure the shape of every extrusion had a structural and aesthetic purpose, like the exposed frame of a motorcycle.”

    Through unprecedented cooperation between design and engineering, the production Ford GT is remarkably faithful to the concept car's design. “There were some pretty heated discussions and times when both teams dug their feet into the ground,” says Pardo. “But the engineers really outdid themselves. Although we changed every surface of the Ford GT, we kept 98 percent of the original design.”
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    Last edited by McLareN; 10-13-2004 at 04:14 AM.

  3. #3
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    ford, i just prefer the looks. not to mention, its a ford that might beat the holdens around bathurst! *jk

    lol, i have respect for ford more then mclaren/mercedes
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  4. #4
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    I find the SLR behaviour to close to the 'Mercedes style'. Moreover Ford had a genius flash to rebuild a fantastic car like the GT 40 (but bad idea to sell the brand... to a simple GT now...), anyway it's a real supercar.

  5. #5
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    What is the point of comparing two cars built for different purposes? You might as well compare the SLR to an Explorer, or the GT to an A-Class.

    The Ford GT is a 360/ Gallardo/ 996 Turbo competior, a "small" supercar, whilst the Mercedes is an uber GT with completely bonkers performance.

    There will be the McLaren P8 in a few years which will be more of a direct comparison.
    Thanks for all the fish

  6. #6
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    Lets pu it this way: GT for the real driving, SLR for cruisin, making a racket and for arriving at parties.

  7. #7
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    Well I will pick the ford GT even if it was for the same purpose.

  8. #8
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    the ford is looks really nice and the slr is a lutle bit strange for me soo .....
    Fun is not a straight line

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  9. #9
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    MERCEDES all the way
    There is 3 people on a boat with loads of children running around it, the 3 people are: 1. Bob geldof, 2. Ozzy Osbourne, and 3. Micheal jackson, they're sailing out for the G8 live aid, they've hit a rock and they're sinking, bob says: "save the children!" ozzy says: "Fuc the children!"

    Micheal says "have we got time?"

  10. #10
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    They are in different segments...

    but still not that far apart. They both have supercharged eight cylinder engines, both with similar displacement. If the SLR was mid rear engined they would be very similar indeed. But the Mclaren is definately more of a GT than the GT, hehe.

    Given the choice I'd take the Ford. If I wanted a real grand tourer I'd rather have a Vanquish or DB9 than the SLR.
    Most wanted cars:

    Ford GT, Aston Martin DB9, Nissan Skyline R-34 V-Spec II, 2004 SVT Cobra Mustang, VW Golf R32, TVR Cerbera 4.5, Ford Focus RS, Aston Martin Vanquish S

    Still waiting.....Shelby Cobra, Shelby GR1, 2006 Ford Lightning, Next generation SVT Mustang Cobra 2006? Mazda Speed RX8

  11. #11
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    I voted for the Ford, probably because I would never vote for a mercedes in a comparison test, but also because it is a driver's car and not an (albeit very fast) poser.
    "I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting, but it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously." Douglas Adams

  12. #12
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    While the SLR is a superb GT, it's not a sports car, the lack of a manual transmition really turns me off to it. So I choose the Ford GT, even though it's less powerfull than the SLR it's a fine example of what a sports car or small supercar as someone called it should be.

    I would use the SLR for getting to the office very quickly and to business meetings in style, and the Ford GT for the sheer joy of driving, weekends and track days
    Last edited by taz_rocks_miami; 10-13-2004 at 11:32 AM.
    "NEVER ALLOW SOMEONE TO BE YOUR PRIORITY, WHILE ALLOWING YOURSELF TO BE THEIR OPTION"

  13. #13
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    slr no doubt..
    UCP's Biggest Mercedes Benz Fan! - Umer Sharif

    Owner Of UCP's Best Avatar!!!

  14. #14
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    SLR by faaaaaar

  15. #15
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    weee...
    slr all da wayyy!!!!
    me crazy slr fan.

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