Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is a grand tourer car jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive, built in Portsmouth and the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England and sold from 2003 to 2010. When it was developed, German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz owned 40 percent of the McLaren Group. SLR stands for "Sport Leicht Rennsport" (Sport Light Racing), homage to the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR which served as the McLaren's inspiration. Both coupé and roadster versions were offered.
The SLR McLaren was succeeded by the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.
At the 1999 North American International Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz presented their Vision SLR concept, inspired both by the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé of 1955, which was a modified Mercedes-Benz W196S race car, and the design of closed-wheel Formula One cars, a field in which Mercedes had prior experience, providing engines for McLaren bodies. The car was presented as "Tomorrow Silver Arrow" in a clear reference to the Silver Arrows of the golden age of Mercedes in competition during the fifties. Later that year, during the Frankfurt Motorshow it was presented the roadster version. The concept car was presented with an AMG 5.5 litre V8 engine supercharged with a mechanical compressor able to deliver 557 HP and 720 Nm at 4,000 rpm, mated with a 5-speed automatic gearbox with Touchshift control.
Wanting to bring the concept to production, Mercedes joined with their Formula One partner, McLaren, thus creating the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. The final production model was presented on 17 November 2003 featuring some minor design adjustments respect the initial design, like a more complex vents in both sides, a redesign of the front part, with the three pointed star plunged in the nose and red tinted rear lights sets.
The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren saw a production run of over six years. On 4 April 2008, Mercedes announced it would discontinue the SLR. The last of the coupés rolled off the production line at the end of 2009 and the roadster version was dropped in early 2010. Due to the automatic gear box, front mid-engined arrangement, and its driving characteristics, some commentators classify the SLR McLaren as a GT, whose rivals would include vehicles such as the Aston Martin DBS V12 and Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.
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