First Official SLR Roadster Pictures!!!!

Merc1 · 05-04-2007, 02:53 AM

Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster: that's quite a mouthful.

It certainly is. But then this is no normal car. Let's call it the SLR, for brevity's sake - and this new roadster derivative is designed to inject Merc's exclusive, low-volume range-topper with a new lease of life after three years on sale.

The engineers at Mercedes and McLaren didn't merely take a tin-opener to the SLR's carbonfibre bodyshell. SLR stands for Super-Leicht, Rennsport (super-light, racing), and that philosophy has continued with the Roadster, whose roof is made from yet more carbonfibre.

Go on, whet my appetite. What are the technical highlights?

This car is based on the standard SLR, not the limited-edition 722, so it boasts merely 617bhp from its supercharged V8, not the full-blown, upgraded 650bhp. That's enough to propel it instantly towards the top of the rapid roadster brigade, with a maximum speed of 207mph. As if any owners will actually get anywhere near that in typical use.

Mercedes counters that its bespoke engineering is important here; of course your typical buyer isn't going to drive three-and-a-half miles a minute, but if you've spent £350,000 on an open-top version of a super coupe you don't want to surrender a single mile per hour, thank you very much.

With its composite roof, the SLR's body is made almost totally from carbonfibre reinforced plastic; two of the body frames are aluminium, but the rest of the monocoque is composite. Result? Light weight and wobble-free strength are claimed.

So there's still the same SLR qualities? Sledgehammer speed and a slightly soulless character?

We haven't driven the SLR Roadster yet, so we'll have to reserve judgment for a few more weeks yet. But there's little to suggest the Roadster will vary enormously from its hard-top brethren. It should be a stiff structure though, so we expect it to be more rigid than some open-top ultra-expensive convertibles.

That roof is available in three colours and Mercedes claims to have marshalled the airstream to guarantee normal conversation is possible at speeds up to 125mph. Handy for the high-speed dash to the French Riviera.

Surprisingly, roof operation isn't fully automatic. Yes - this car is set to cost £350,000, but you'll have to unlock the roof from the header rail and lift it slightly (by hand!) at which point electric motors take over. It then flops elegantly out of sight under an aluminium roof cover in less than 10sec.

Does it lose anything over the SLR coupe?

Not really. You still get the sexy side-exit exhausts, and the airbrake function is cleverly retained, despite the addition of a bulky folding roof mechanism. Speaking of brakes, the discs are carbon ceramic, which is handy to rein in the AMG engine. We know from our drives in the coupe that this V8 is brutal, with a neck-snapping 575lb ft of torque available. Which helps explain the 3.8sec blast to 62mph.

There is a useful amount of extra security built in, too. The A-pillars are reinforced with steel, and there are two fixed rollover hoops behind the seats. Airbags for most parts of the body, including the knees, are standard fit, as are the usual niceties for three hundred grand (carbonfibre seats, gadgets galore).

Naturally, the SLR is built at the Woking McLaren factory in England, and the first customer cars will arrive in September. The company has already built more than 1000 SLRs and the Roadster will doubtless expand sales in this uber-expensive elite market segment accordingly.

- ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Oh my the SLR has finally become desireable!!!

M

The Emperor · 05-04-2007, 02:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merc1

Oh my the SLR has finally become desireable!!!

M

Hmmm...

........

Nice, very nice i must admit. Do i like it more than coupe? No! No way!

In that blue color the coupe looks amazing.

Just_me · 05-04-2007, 02:58 AM

Finally? I take the one with roof over this anyday, looks a lot better IMO

The Emperor · 05-04-2007, 03:20 AM

More pics and press release @ WCF: - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Merc1 · 05-04-2007, 03:24 AM

Oh yeah I want one of these:

M

The Artist · 05-04-2007, 03:47 AM

seriously i hate it..
it looks weird..
like it wasent made to be a roadster..
give the SLR 722 over this any day..

me does not like this

Just_me · 05-04-2007, 03:58 AM

cloth roof, intresting!

Sunny · 05-04-2007, 04:01 AM

It looks like 2 halves stuck together - coupe looks much better!

Yannis · 05-04-2007, 04:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just_me

cloth roof, intresting!

Murcelago Roadster also has cloth roof. It keeps the weight down and it can be folded to occupy less space.

The Artist · 05-04-2007, 04:39 AM

Zonda Roadster has cloth as well

05-04-2007, 02:53 AM	#1 (permalink)
Merc1 Contributor Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Aurora IL USA Posts: 4,955 Thanks: 363 Thanked 672 Times in 346 Posts	First Official SLR Roadster Pictures!!!! Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster: that's quite a mouthful. It certainly is. But then this is no normal car. Let's call it the SLR, for brevity's sake - and this new roadster derivative is designed to inject Merc's exclusive, low-volume range-topper with a new lease of life after three years on sale. The engineers at Mercedes and McLaren didn't merely take a tin-opener to the SLR's carbonfibre bodyshell. SLR stands for Super-Leicht, Rennsport (super-light, racing), and that philosophy has continued with the Roadster, whose roof is made from yet more carbonfibre. Go on, whet my appetite. What are the technical highlights? This car is based on the standard SLR, not the limited-edition 722, so it boasts merely 617bhp from its supercharged V8, not the full-blown, upgraded 650bhp. That's enough to propel it instantly towards the top of the rapid roadster brigade, with a maximum speed of 207mph. As if any owners will actually get anywhere near that in typical use. Mercedes counters that its bespoke engineering is important here; of course your typical buyer isn't going to drive three-and-a-half miles a minute, but if you've spent £350,000 on an open-top version of a super coupe you don't want to surrender a single mile per hour, thank you very much. With its composite roof, the SLR's body is made almost totally from carbonfibre reinforced plastic; two of the body frames are aluminium, but the rest of the monocoque is composite. Result? Light weight and wobble-free strength are claimed. So there's still the same SLR qualities? Sledgehammer speed and a slightly soulless character? We haven't driven the SLR Roadster yet, so we'll have to reserve judgment for a few more weeks yet. But there's little to suggest the Roadster will vary enormously from its hard-top brethren. It should be a stiff structure though, so we expect it to be more rigid than some open-top ultra-expensive convertibles. That roof is available in three colours and Mercedes claims to have marshalled the airstream to guarantee normal conversation is possible at speeds up to 125mph. Handy for the high-speed dash to the French Riviera. Surprisingly, roof operation isn't fully automatic. Yes - this car is set to cost £350,000, but you'll have to unlock the roof from the header rail and lift it slightly (by hand!) at which point electric motors take over. It then flops elegantly out of sight under an aluminium roof cover in less than 10sec. Does it lose anything over the SLR coupe? Not really. You still get the sexy side-exit exhausts, and the airbrake function is cleverly retained, despite the addition of a bulky folding roof mechanism. Speaking of brakes, the discs are carbon ceramic, which is handy to rein in the AMG engine. We know from our drives in the coupe that this V8 is brutal, with a neck-snapping 575lb ft of torque available. Which helps explain the 3.8sec blast to 62mph. There is a useful amount of extra security built in, too. The A-pillars are reinforced with steel, and there are two fixed rollover hoops behind the seats. Airbags for most parts of the body, including the knees, are standard fit, as are the usual niceties for three hundred grand (carbonfibre seats, gadgets galore). Naturally, the SLR is built at the Woking McLaren factory in England, and the first customer cars will arrive in September. The company has already built more than 1000 SLRs and the Roadster will doubtless expand sales in this uber-expensive elite market segment accordingly. - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Oh my the SLR has finally become desireable!!! M

05-04-2007, 02:58 AM	#3 (permalink)
Just_me Expert Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Sweden Posts: 12,612 Thanks: 741 Thanked 2,035 Times in 1,028 Posts	Re: First Official SLR Roadster Pictures!!!! Finally? I take the one with roof over this anyday, looks a lot better IMO

05-04-2007, 03:20 AM	#4 (permalink)
The Emperor Malicious Persecutor Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Where noone has gone before... Posts: 9,141 My Mood: Thanks: 1,405 Thanked 1,566 Times in 952 Posts	Re: First Official SLR Roadster Pictures!!!! More pics and press release @ WCF: - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

05-04-2007, 03:24 AM	#5 (permalink)
Merc1 Contributor Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Aurora IL USA Posts: 4,955 Thanks: 363 Thanked 672 Times in 346 Posts	Re: First Official SLR Roadster Pictures!!!! Oh yeah I want one of these: M

05-04-2007, 03:47 AM	#6 (permalink)
The Artist Shaolin Shadow Boxer Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Sweden Gothenburg Posts: 11,413 My Mood: Thanks: 122 Thanked 712 Times in 444 Posts	Re: First Official SLR Roadster Pictures!!!! seriously i hate it.. it looks weird.. like it wasent made to be a roadster.. give the SLR 722 over this any day.. me does not like this

05-04-2007, 03:58 AM	#7 (permalink)
Just_me Expert Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Sweden Posts: 12,612 Thanks: 741 Thanked 2,035 Times in 1,028 Posts	Re: First Official SLR Roadster Pictures!!!! cloth roof, intresting!

05-04-2007, 04:01 AM	#8 (permalink)
Sunny Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 320 Thanks: 40 Thanked 27 Times in 23 Posts	Re: First Official SLR Roadster Pictures!!!! It looks like 2 halves stuck together - coupe looks much better!

05-04-2007, 04:39 AM	#10 (permalink)
The Artist Shaolin Shadow Boxer Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Sweden Gothenburg Posts: 11,413 My Mood: Thanks: 122 Thanked 712 Times in 444 Posts	Re: First Official SLR Roadster Pictures!!!! Zonda Roadster has cloth as well

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