Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

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).[2]

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.