Description
Launched in 2003, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren was inspired by the legendary Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR (Sport Leicht-Rennen - Sport Light-Racing) of 1955. Two of the nine 300 SLR chassis were converted to coupes and featured side-exiting exhaust pipes and gullwing doors which were referenced in the design of the new SLR coupe.
The SLR was a showpiece collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and McLaren at a time when Mercedes supplied powertrains for McLaren’s Formula One cars.
Powered by a hand-built and highly modified AMG Supercharged 5, 439cc, the all-alloy V8 was mated to an AMG Speedshift R five-speed automatic gearbox with three manual modes. The engine produced 617 bhp and was front-mid-mounted, sitting three feet behind the front bumper to optimise weight distribution. The lightweight, carbon-fibre body was styled by Mercedes-Benz and the new supercar was developed by Gordon Murray and manufactured at the McLaren Technology Centre.
The SLR was truly a technical tour de force, incorporating active aero, a brake-by-wire braking system and carbon-ceramic brake discs that were cleaned by the calipers. The final production version served up the 0-60 dash in 3. 4 seconds and could top 207 mph.
Chassis WDD1993761M001193 was produced to UK-specification and registered to its first UK-based owner on the 28th April 2008. Finished in Crystal Laurite Silver with the rare and expensive red Silver Arrow leather interior package. Our three-owner example is showing only 19, 000 miles from new and has been serviced exclusively by the SLR Centre of Excellence at Mercedes Brooklands, Weybridge (the only official UK SLR service centre) and is consequently in excellent condition.
The car has full PPF protection and retains its spare key and all handbooks, including stamped service book and copies of service invoices from SLR Centre, Brooklands.
As a latter-day Silver Arrow, the SLR coupe is a highly-collectible, limited-edition supercar and currently represents huge value in comparison to its contemporaries. Surely a situation that cannot last much longer.
