On the Formula One circuit, Ferrari and Mercedes dished out the best they could muster in the 1998 season.  In the end, due partly (maybe a small part) to Schumacher's tire puncture, Mercedes came out on top and won both the driver's and constructor's championship.

To commemorate this crowning achievement, Mercedes launched a new concept car at the North American International Motor Show in Detroit on December 20.  This was the Mercedes-Benz Vision SLR.

At the moment, the Vision SLR remains merely as a concept car. However, Mercedes is seriously considering to build this wonderful piece of machinery with the help of their Formula One constructor, McLaren Cars Ltd.  If this is true, this could also serve as McLaren's so-called 'F2' project, which is slated to follow the McLaren F1 supercar.

The Vision SLR carries with itself both a spirit of nostalgia and techno-funk feel.  For instance, the Vision SLR borrows its name from the Mercedes sports-car racers during the 1950s.  The SLR's past is already a burden enough to start with in regard to what people expect from this new concept car.  Just think about it: the 1955 Mercedes SLR was powered by a 3-liter V8 engine, which had a maximum power of 302 horsepower at 7,500 rpm (powerful for its time).  More than its engine and displacement, the original SLR had the privilege to be remembered as the car that  the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss piloted to numerous victories.

Aside from the name, Mercedes designers borrowed the long chiseled hood, dynamic fenders and 'gull-wing' doors from the 1950 Mercedes 300SL coupe (one of the best classics ever).  The Vision SLR design concept incorporates a double spoiler across the face of the car and the new Mercedes-Benz 'face' with the four oval headlamp clusters.  In addition the new face, the Vision SLR's evocative arrow-shaped front end  is based on the McLaren-Mercedes which Mika Hakkinen drove to win both the driver's and constructor's championship in the 1998 Formula One season.