The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (C199 / R199 / Z199) is a grand tourer jointly developed by German automotive manufacturer Mercedes-Benz and British automobile manufacturer McLaren Automotive and sold from 2003 to 2010. When the car was developed, Mercedes-Benz owned 40 percent of the McLaren Group and the car was produced in conjunction between the two companies. The "SLR" name is an abbreviation for "Sport Leicht Rennsport" (Sport Light Racing), and was an homage to the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR which served as the car's inspiration.[5] The car was offered in coupé, roadster and speedster bodystyles, with the latter being a limited-edition model.
History
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,[5] which was a modified Mercedes-Benz W196S race car, and the design of closed-wheel Formula One cars, a field in which they had prior experience from Mercedes-Benz competing in Formula One in the past as constructor also winning back to back championships in their debut season 1954 then 1955. Also during the jointly developed project of Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren in 2003 Mercedes-Benz acquiring 40 per cent ownership of McLaren Group competed in Formula One as partnership with the McLaren Formula One Team, and were developing powertrains and electronics for McLaren's Formula One cars. 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 Motor Show, a roadster version of the SLR concept was presented. The concept car was fitted with a 5.0-litre supercharged AMG V8 engine able to generate a power output of 565 PS and 720 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm, mated to a 5-speed automatic gearbox with Touchshift control.
Wanting to bring the concept to production following its positive reception, Mercedes joined forces with their Formula One partner, McLaren, thus creating the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. Mercedes did the styling on the car while McLaren was fully responsible for everything else, from the design and the engineering to the manufacture and the testing of each car at the production line.[1] The production version of the car was unveiled to the general public on 17 November 2003 having some major design adjustments in respect of the initial design. In order to give the car the performance that Mercedes wanted, McLaren had to radically alter the concept for better weight distribution, including moving the engine almost a meter back and lowering the fuel tank.[1] Smaller adjustments included more complex vents on both sides of the car, a redesigned front with the three pointed star plunged in the nose and red tinted rear lights.
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 2010 and the roadster version was dropped in early 2009. Due to the automatic gear box, front mid-engine arrangement, and its driving characteristics, some automotive journalists classify the SLR McLaren as a grand tourer.
When the car was still in prototype status, Mercedes used two bodies from the TVR Cerbera.[6]
Technical highlights
Brakes
The SLR features Sensotronic Brake Control, a type of brake-by-wire system.[7] The brake discs are carbon-ceramic units and provide better stopping power and fade resistance than steel discs when operating under ideal working temperature. Mercedes-Benz claims these discs are fade resistant to 1200 °C. The front discs are internally vented and measure 370 mm in diameter; eight-piston callipers are used. Rear discs are 360 mm in diameter with four-piston callipers. During wet conditions the callipers automatically skim the surface of the discs to keep them dry.
Aerodynamics
The SLR features active aerodynamics; there is a spoiler mounted on the rear integral air brake flap. The spoiler increases downforce depending on its angle of elevation (angle of attack). At a set speed, the spoiler/brake automatically raises to 10 degrees (15 degrees in the 722 edition), when demanded via the driver's switch, the elevation can be increased to 30 degrees (35 degrees in the 722 edition) for increased rear downforce, at the cost of increased steady state drag. The car has a flat underbody and a rear diffuser for improved downforce. Due to this, there was no other place for the exhaust pipes to exit, other than the sides of the car, making it another unique feature of the SLR.
Variants
722 Edition
A new version of the SLR was introduced in 2006, called the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition. The "722" refers to the victory by Stirling Moss and his co-driver Denis Jenkinson in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR with the starting number 722 (indicating a start time of 7:22 a.m.) at the Mille Miglia in 1955.
The "722 Edition" includes a modified version of the engine used in the SLR generating a power output of 650 PS at 6,500 rpm and 820 Nm at 4,000 rpm. 19-inch light-alloy wheels were used to reduce unsprung mass, while modifications were also made to the suspension, with a stiffer damper setup and 10 mm lower ride height introduced for improved handling. Larger 390 mm diameter front brakes and a revised front air dam and rear diffuser were fitted.[12]
Other exterior changes include red "722" badging, harking back to the original 722 racer, black tinted tail lights and headlamps. The interior has carbon fibre trim and black leather upholstery combined with Alcantara.
The SLR 722 can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds, 0 to 200 km/h in 10.2 seconds and 300 km/h in 27.6 seconds, and can attain a top speed of 337 km/h, faster than the standard Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.
Sales
Total sales were 615 units in 2005, 261 units in 2006, and 275 units in 2007, falling well below Mercedes-McLaren's goal of selling 500 units annually.[36]
When the SLR was first announced, Mercedes said total production would be limited to 3,500 units. 1,400 units had been sold by the end of 2007. The factory confirmed that production would halt at the end of 2010.[37]
A total of 2,157 cars were produced. [38]
Motorsport
Spencer Pumpelly entered an SLR McLaren in the Speed World Challenge GT class, driving for TRG Motorsports.[39]
See also
- Mercedes-Benz W196
- Mercedes-Benz 300SL
- Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR
- Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
External links
- Mercedes SLR AMG Overview
- McLaren Mercedes-Benz SLR pages: SLR coupé, SLR Roadster, SLR 722 coupé, Roadster 722 S