Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren 2007
January 1, 2007
Of all the supercars produced in the postmillennial era, the SLR is perhaps the friendliest. This is a car you can drive daily, as if it were as unremarkable as an SL550. Resulting from a collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and its Formula One racing partner, McLaren, the SLR is a technological tour de force that harks back to the original, 1955 300SLR in which Stirling Moss won the Mille Miglia endurance race. Sir Stirling did not enjoy the benefits of an exotic carbon fiber body structure, though, and neither was his car’s interior as opulent as the SLR’s. Surely even Moss would be impressed by the 617 hp AMG V-8, which propels the SLR to 60 mph in about 3.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 207 mph. Critics have complained that the lack of a manual transmission or a Ferrari-style paddle-shift gearbox diminishes the SLR’s credibility, but the Mercedes SLR McLaren is a full-fledged member of the 200 mph club, a status few other street cars enjoy.
PRICE: $455,750
ENGINE: Supercharged 5.4-liter V-8
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed automatic
POWER: 617 hp at 6,500 rpm
TORQUE: 575 ft lbs at 3,250 rpm
CURB WEIGHT: 3,748 pounds
0-60 MPH: 3.8 seconds
TOP SPEED: 207 mph
PROS: Long-distance comfort in a 200 mph supercar
CONS: Controversial styling, hefty weight for a carbon-fiber car
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