Sunday, July 6, 2008

McLaren SLR Speedster


It looks like Mercedes-McLaren have big plans for its SLR farewell party! With the Mercedes supercar coming to the end of its production life, the German manufacturer has no plans to send the thoroughbred off quietly. Speculation has been growing about a final special edition speedster version of the SLR 722 - and it looks like the rumours were true. Despite the confusing disguise these exclusive spy shots, taken somewhere in the heart of Germany reveal Mercedes and McLaren have one last trick up its sleeve and it appears to be quite a special one.

We can also reveal that 75 examples of the final SLR will be produced and can confirm it will be light-weight speedster versions of the purebred supercar. The limited edition car will pay homage to the silver 300 SLR driven by Stirling Moss in the mid fifties and will have no roof and only a small wind screen in place of the car’s windshield.

Further deletion of the air conditioning system and power windows plus the use of composite materials in the body panels will shave about 440 pounds off the SLR’s kerb weight. The end result will be a car that can accelerate from 0-186 mph in just 26 seconds, on its way to a blistering top speed of about 217 mph, 8 mph faster than any previous SLR.

Sources can also reveal the limited edition SLR is expected to retail from about 450,000 euros if you can manage to get one.