Mercedes-Benz of Valencia

                                                                                                                Esquire Magazine

2008 SLR McLaren

$497,750*

The new SLR Roadster blends Formula 1 motor-racing credentials with a fully retractable semi-automatic soft top for a whole new dimension in Gran Turismo Roadsters.

Powered by a supercharged 5.5 liter, 617-horsepower AMG V-8 engine, the SLR McLaren Roadster can achieve a top speed of 206 mph. Its full carbon-fiber monocoque, Swing-wing door design, and two-tone soft top offer undiluted open-air driving pleasure at the highest level.

AMG-built supercharged 24-valve V-8, 617 hp @ 6,500 rpm, 575 lb-ft @ 3,250 - 5,000 rpm

 The SL Roadster history

 

300SL (1954-1963)

In the beginning of the fifties Mercedes-Benz built the 300SL (W194) light racing car which had a chassis built up around thin steel tubes. The six cylinder engine provided an impressive 174bhp.

The 300SL was designed and built as a racing car.  Transforming the specially constructed pre-racer into a production automobile was a goal achieved in 1954, and the 300SL Gullwing was officially introduced at the 1954 New York Auto Show by Max Hoffman.

The car was extremely fast but not very convenient to drive and the design of the cabin and "Gullwing" doors made it difficult to enter and exit.  A roadster type of the 300SL was later made to compensate for this.

Production stopped in 1963 after having produced 1.853 samples.

190SL (1955-1963)

Along with the 300SL's introduction in 1954, the 190SL was also introduced at the 1954 New York Auto Show as a prototype. Mercedes-Benz recognized a need for a lower priced sports car as an alternative to the expensive 300SL.  The 190SL carried a four cylinder engine providing 105 bhp.  One year later, the first production version 190SL made its official debut.

In Mercedes-Benz nomenclature, the SL means Sports Light, however the 190SL was not incredibly light.  It did, however, have a very attractive, sporty image.  It was easy to drive and proved to be a very very reliable touring car with decent performance. 

The 190SL was produced from 1955 to 1963 and in total 25,881 were produced.

230SL (1963-1971)

The 230SL was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1963 and effectively replaced both the 300SL and the 190SL. In 1967 it was followed by the 250SL and in 1968 by the 280SL which was slightly more powerful.

With a six cylinder engine and a 150 bhp rating, it was more powerful than the 190SL and more comfortable than the 300SL. 

The 230SL can be identified easily by its headlights.  The 230SL had the front lights vertically arranged against the newer SL models (W107) which had horizontally arranged front lights.

Production on the 230SL ended in 1971, with a total of 48,912 cars produced.

350SL (1971-1980)

In 1971 Mercedes introduced the 350SL, their heaviest version yet.  Its weight no longer qualified it as a "Sport Light" anymore, but it retained the distinction.  It carried a V-8 engine and was built as a convertible roadster and a four-seat coupe.

In 1973 both cars were made with a 4.5 liter V-8 engine and from 1974 the more economic 280SL was introduced with a 2.8 liter 6 cylinder with DOHC to address the ongoing oil issue of the day.

(1980-present)

At the Geneva Motor Show in 1980 Mercedes replaced the 350SL with the 380SL.  This model represented the official return to power and torque.  In 1985 a revamped version of the 280SL was presented at the Frankfurt Show with a 3-liter 6 cylinder engine with an impressive rise in bhp.  Within a year, the 380SL motor was overhauled again to provide a 4.2 liter 8 cylinder engine with a badge of 420SL.  A 5-liter 500SL with 245 bhp was also introduced, providing more power and better handling than ever before.

The SLR McLaren

The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren was first released for purchase in 2004 and is inspired by the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR of 1955. This sports car racer was actually based on the W196 F1 car, yet named after the road-going Mercedes 300SL Gullwing.

The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is a sports car and supercar automobile co-developed by Daimler, AG, and McLaren Automotive.

Though often classified as a Supercar, and compared to cars like the Porsche Carrera GT, Lamborghini Murcielago and Ferrari Enzo Ferrari, the presence of the automatic and its driving characteristics lead some commentators to classify the SLR McLaren as a Super GT whose closer rivals are the Aston Martin Vanquish and Ferrari 599 GTB. In fact, one of the goals of the SLR was to combine both supercar and GT characteristics.

It is the fastest automatic transmission car in the world. It is assembled at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England. SLR stands for "sport, leicht, Rennsport" (sport, light, racing).