Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

History
The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren was inspired by the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR of 1955, based on the W196 F1 car, yet named after the road-going 300SL Gullwing. On 4 April 2008, Mercedes announced they would cease production of the SLR. The last of the coupes rolled off the production line at the end of 2007 and the roadster version was discontinued in early 2009.

The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is an Anglo-German supercar jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive, built in Portsmouth and the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. At the time Mercedes-Benz owned 40 percent of the McLaren Group.

Due to the presence of the automatic gear box, front mid-engined arrangement, and its driving characteristics, some commentators classify the SLR McLaren as a GT whose rivals would be vehicles like the Aston Martin DBS V12 and Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.

SLR stands for "Sport, Leicht, Rennsport" (sport, light, racing). Mercedes-Benz stated that they would build 3,500 SLRs over a span of seven years, with an annual production of 500 cars.[1] The car's base price is GB£300,000 (approx. US$495,000 or €346,000, c. 2009).[

Performance
The car uses carbon fibre for its entire body construction in an attempt to keep the weight low. Despite CFRP materials the total curb weight is 1,768 kg (3,898 lb). The following tests have proven that the SLR can achieve a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in times less than the claimed 3.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 334 km/h (208 mph)[5].

Car and Driver achieved a 0-60 mph (100 km/h) time of 3.6 seconds, and a quarter-mile time of 11.6 seconds at 125 mph (201 km/h) C&D suggests the times may be even lower if temperatures were lower. Motor Trend tested the SLR and achieved a 0-60 mph time of 3.6 seconds in April 2006. Car and Driver achieved top gear acceleration 30-50 mph and 50-70 mph times of 1.7 and 2.4 seconds, which are the fastest ever recorded by the magazine in a production car. The SLR also pulled 0.97 g on the skidpad.January 2005

Road and Track tested the car in their July 2005 Road Test and reached 60 mph (97 km/h) from a standstill in 3.5 seconds. The 0 - 100 mph (160 km/h) sprint was achieved in 7.5 seconds and a quarter mile run was completed in 11.5 seconds at 126 mph (203 km/h).

In June 2004 the SLR was tested at Nardo and performed the 0-100 km/h (62 mph) exercise in 3.8 seconds, 0-200 km/h (124 mph) in 10.3 seconds and 0-300 km/h (190 mph) in 30.4 seconds.[citation needed] Their 400 metre and kilometre times were 11.4 seconds at 128 mph (206 km/h) and 20.6 seconds at 270 km/h (170 mph) respectively. They also reached its claimed topspeed 365 km/h (227 mph).