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Nearly fifty years later, Mercedes-Benz is once again reviving the legendary nameplate for the company’s supercar program. With such a long and venerated history behind the SLR name, the Stuttgart-based manufacturer is taking no chances. Designed, engineered and built with help of their Formula One partner, McLaren, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is the pinnacle of design and technology—and will no doubt shape the face of supercars to come. The styling of the SLR harks back to the “Uhlenhaut Coupe” with its curvaceous shape, long bonnet and short tail, side port exhausts, aggressively-finned engine cooling ducts and of course, the now legendary gull-wing doors. However, Mercedes-Benz is not keen to revive the spirit of the 1950s alone. The SLR features modern touches including a double spoiler across the face and the trademark four-oval headlamp cluster design. In addition, the evocative arrow-shaped front is based on the partnership’s highly successful Formula One car. In order not to ruin the SLR’s provocative shape, there is a lack of visible aerodynamic aids. However, designers from both Mercedes-Benz and McLaren have incorporated the needed elements for high-speed stability and road-holding. The wedge-shaped design, for instance, greatly reduces the co-efficient of drag, making the SLR effectively slice through the wind. At the back, the high-level rear not only contributes to a rather large luggage area, but incorporates a six-channel diffuser to give remarkable downforce. True to its namesake, the SLR’s design concept is anything but ordinary. The body, for instance, is not made from unit-steel but rather is made from carbon fibre with reinforced aluminum. This special construction technique makes up for a bantam weight of 1,600 kilograms (similar to a Mercedes-Benz E-class), but boasts a level of rigidity and strength never before achieved on road-going vehicles. At the same time, it delivers an exemplary level of occupant protection in terms of energy absorption. Likewise, the suspension is grafted in aluminum and is covered by extraordinarily designed 18-inch wheels. |
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