A Stirling effort

By ALASTAIR SLOANE Motoring editor

It is the fastest road-going Mercedes-Benz to date, a $1 million-plus supercar with a racing heritage spanning 50 years linking past and present Formula One drivers.

It is called the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, and is named after the legendary 300SLR car that Stirling Moss drove to win the Mille Miglia in Italy in 1955.

It takes its spirit from the Moss car, its gullwing doors from the road-going original 300SL, and its styling cues from the McLaren Formula One Silver Arrow racers that Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard drive.

The car was styled by Mercedes-Benz's in-house design studio and will go into production in England from September.

It will be built by Mercedes-Benz's Formula One partner McLaren Cars in a new factory out of London. The first year's run of 500 left-hand-drive-only cars has reportedly already been sold.

So far there is only one New Zealand buyer, leading motor dealer Colin Giltrap. He will drive the prototype SLR next month at a proving ground in Spain.

There, Giltrap gets to choose what he wants in the car, from the colour of the sumptuous two-seat, leather-lined interior to the latest in entertainment and safety features.

His SLR is expected to land here next year, where it will likely do a tour of DaimlerChrysler dealerships before going under wraps. Two Australian buyers have also ordered an SLR.

The car will officially be unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show in September. It will be powered by a hand-built, supercharged 5.4-litre V8 engine producing about 450kW (600bhp) and a whopping 760Nm of torque.

Neither Mercedes-Benz nor McLaren have released performance figures, but reports from Europe say it should hit 100km/h from a standstill in 3.8 seconds and go to a top speed of about 330km/h. The same reports say the prototype has flown past 300km/h on the Spanish test track.

Channelling all this oomph to the SLR's rear wheels is the same five-speed automatic/manual mode transmission used in the Maybach limousine.

The SLR uses a conventional key - but only to arm the car. A fighter jet-inspired flap on the gear lever reveals the starter button.

Above 95km/h, a spoiler automatically deploys at 10 degrees to provide extra downforce over the rear axle. It also acts as an air brake by deploying to a maximum 65 degrees under heavy braking.

The SLR uses a stiff carbon-fibre monocoque chassis, to which carbon-fibre body panels and the mechanicals are attached.

Mercedes-Benz and McLaren developed their own carbon-fibre technology, rather than adopt the technology used by Formula One.

Mercedes says its SLR partnership with McLaren "marks the reawakening of Mercedes-Benz's passion for super sports cars" and enables the two companies to "showcase their collective experience".

The SLR retains the same Formula One-inspired styling theme as the concept car first wheeled out at the 1999 Detroit motor show.

But there have been some changes. The bonnet is slightly longer to better accommodate the V8 engine, the air ducts for the engine bay have been enlarged to aid cooling, the cabin has been moved about 10cm rearwards to make weight distribution close to 50:50, and the boot has been raised to improve aerodynamics and luggage capacity.

The twin-fin spoiler in the front bumper has also been borrowed from Formula One.

"It is more than just an identifying design feature," says Mercedes-Benz. "It is also crucial to the vehicle's aerodynamics and engine cooling.

"The high-contact pressure they produce at the front axle plays a key role in the new SLR's roadholding."

The new Gran Turismo has inherited another unmistakable feature from the road-going Coupe version of the original SLR race car - the gullwing doors.

But the new doors are not hinged at the roof as the original's were.

Instead they are pivoted at the front roof pillars and swing forwards in a large arc - making entry and exit easier for driver and passenger.