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SLR Mclaren

Poster: Charlie Flindt 01/10/2007

THERE ARE SUPERCARS… THEN – AS H!’S MOTORING CORRESPONDENT CHARLIE FLINDT EXPLAINS HERE − THERE IS THE SLR MCLAREN, A STUNNING COMBINATION OF EFFICIENCY AND FLAIR.

Sometimes you come across a car that looks as if it has broken the First Law of Concept Cars. This is the law that says a concept car is fully entitled to appear at a motor show with lots of quality totty draped all over the bodywork, but there is no way that it can go on to showrooms for punters to buy and drive.

The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is exactly such a vehicle. Nothing with that sort of styling can possibly be meant for genuine driving, can it? Look at the massive bonnet, the jet-car front, the side exhausts. It’s all perfect for livening up a glossy stand at Geneva or wherever, but – is it real?

It’s real, all right. The SLR is one of the most remarkable cars in the world. For a start it has an unusual set of parents. There’s Mercedes, famous for solid German engineering, safety, comfort and a billion faithful taxis worldwide. And then there’s McLaren, one of the most successful names in motor sport, who specialise in vehicle dynamics and innovation.

The fruit of these automotive loins is a genuine supercar. Let’s talk performance: 100 kph is reached in 3.8 seconds, and 200 kph in about the same time that many cars will reach 100 kph – 10.6 seconds. Top speed is 334 kph, so we ought to include a statistic you don’t come across very often: the Mercedes McLaren will do 0-300 kph in 28.8 seconds. Which is about how long it takes a Fiat Panda 4x4 to get to 100 kph.

The powerplant behind all these figures is 5439cc V8, hand-built by AMG. In some ways, it’s a bit old fashioned: it has only three valves per cylinder, and is supercharged rather than turbocharged. The great advantage of supercharging is the torque range is much broader, which is why, despite having only five gears in the automatic gearbox, it can still notch up those staggering performance times. The engine is also in a sort of "front/mid" position, sitting well behind the front axle. This has all sorts of benefits when it comes to weight distribution and − therefore − handling, enhanced by dry-sump lubrication which keeps the centre of gravity nice and low.

That gem of an engine is wrapped up in a monococque of great strength and minimal weight – the use of carbon fibre composite gives a 50 per cent weight saving over steel and an energy absorption advantage four to five times that of steel or aluminium. These monococques are hand-built at Portsmouth, possibly by direct descendants of shipbuilders who hand-built ships used to kick a certain Armada’s ass a few centuries ago. Once finished, these body shells leave Pompey and are sent to Woking, for painting and mechanical and electrical assembly – obviously your average galleon didn’t need a comprehensive multi-layer paint programme or the fitting of complicated wiring looms. All this is done in conditions of near surgical cleanliness, by small teams of technicians.

The SLR gets one of the most thorough pre-delivery checks imaginable. Once the suspension geometry has been set-up, the car is put on a test rig where it gets given a damned good shaking to find any squeaks and rattles. Forty minutes on a rolling road at up to 250 kph suffices to check mechanical and electrical components, and then it gets assaulted by extreme pressure jets of water to check for leaks. And just when it is recovering from all that, it gets taken to the Dunsfold race circuit, where a final check on ride and handling takes place, as well as giving the ceramic brakes a chance to get bedded in. Then – and only then – does the proud punter get the keys to his new pride and joy. Hold on, they give it a wash and a polish first.

Mind you, there are those who find the basic SLR not quite exclusive or expensive enough. It may not be quite quick enough for them. Unbelievable, but true. How do we know this to be true? Because there is an SLR 722 just for them. This is a special edition SLR – as if the basic one was anything but special. The 722 is named after the start time of Stirling Moss’ Mercedes-Benz 300SLR, which, on 2 May 1955, set the fastest time ever for the famous and notorious Mille Miglia race. The 722 has an extra bit of power, some extra tweaking here and there in the brakes and bodywork.

And if you feel that the bodywork of the SLR could do with one major bodywork tweak, fear not: this autumn will see the launch of the SLR roadster – all the thrills and performance of the coupe, but with the roof down. Mercedes are keen to point out in the press release: "Conversation is still perfectly possible at 200 kph."

You know you’re dealing with a supercar when details like that are important.

MERCEDES-BENZ SLR McLAREN

Engine: 5439cc, supercharged V8 Performance: 0-100 kph in 3.8 seconds Combined fuel consumption: 14.8 lt/100 km Verdict: German efficiency mates with British flair, begats some supercar.

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