MERCEDES BENZ SLR McLaren Models/Series Timeline, Specifications & Photos

Mercedes-Benz introduced a limited series for the McLaren SLR named Stirling Moss, honoring the famous British racing driver.

When Mercedes-Benz introduced the 300 SLR, it needed victories to get more media attention. Stirling Moss provided that when he won the 1955 Mille Miglia driving that race car for the German carmaker. Later that year, he repeated the performance at the Targa Florio race. Sir Stirling Moss was regarded as “the greatest racing driver that never won a Formula 1 championship.” But his victories remained untamed by any shadow of a doubt as being one of the greatest drivers of all times. Mercedes-Benz created a unique roadster: the McLaren SLR Stirling Moss, in 2009. Sir Moss died eleven years later in 2020.

After introducing the SLR as a coupe and as a roadster, the sky was the limit, and Mercedes-Benz realized what to do with the open-top convertible. It simply cut the A-pillars, the windshield and created a legendary roadster for two, with two tall roll-bars behind the seats. To protect the occupants from wind, Mercedes-Benz installed two small windscreens in front of the cockpit. Moreover, if the driver drove alone, the other seat could have been closed with a lid.

The cockpit featured a pair of sport bucket seats with high bolstering areas. Between them, the carmaker installed a carbon fiber center console where it placed the gear-selector. In front of the driver, Mercedes-Benz installed an instrument panel with individual clusters for speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, and coolant temperature.

Under the hood, the McLaren SLR Stirling Moss featured a special tuned 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 that sent the rear wheels' power via a five-speed automatic transmission. Mercedes-Benz built only 75 roadsters.

The McLaren looked like a concept car brought into production. Nobody expected to look so similar to the 2004 prototype that was shown at the North American International Auto Show.

The series model was introduced in late 2002 and looked very similar to the concept car. The McLaren SLR was built using Formula 1 technology such as carbon-fiber underbody safety systems, special aluminum alloys, and active aerodynamic systems. Then, the roadster showed up in 2007.

The roadster version featured the same front and rear end, but a different cockpit. Its soft-top was retractable in 10 seconds, but it needed manual unlatching. It lost some of the structural rigidity, but it gained in the look department. It was a true roadster with the pedigree taken from the glorious Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR from 1955.

To climb inside the car, the door was opened upwards. The side sill was wide, like the one in the 300 SLR Gullwing. The interior featured a combination of aluminum, carbon-fiber, and leather. The start-button was under a cover on top of the gearshift lever, like in a fighter-jet.

Under the hood, there was the same 5.5-liter supercharged V8 engine. It was mated to the 5G-Tronic gearbox, but fitted with different software and badged as an AMG Speedshift R gearbox.

One year after the introduction of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, the German carmaker came with a special edition named 722.

The three-pointed-star brand launched the SLR in 2005, half of the century after the carmaker's success in the Mille Miglia race. In 1955, Sir Stirling Moss and his co-driver Dennis Jenkinson drove the glorious 300 SLR to victory in the thousand-mile race. He started at 7:22 AM, hence the 722 nameplate for the already stunning German supercar. The event was held between Rome and Brescia and back, and the duo achieved a record average speed of 100 mph (161 km/h) in the grueling 1,000-mile race.

Fast forward 50 years, and the stunning, more expensive version of the 2006 SLR 722 Edition featured a few upgrades compared to the regular SLR. There was a new front splitter at the front, which helped increase the downforce. At the back, the carmaker placed a new diffuser that was more effective. Last but not least, the aerodynamic brake on the trunk lifted more than on the non-722 version. To make the car lighter, the carmaker replaced more than 300 parts, so the car was 44 kg (97 lbs) lighter.

Inside, the Alcantara-clad bucket seats featured red stitching, matched by the same material used for the steering wheel. On the center stack, the carmaker placed a 722 badge. But the interior upgrades didn't stop there. There was a set of redesigned paddle-shifters behind the steering wheel, and the dials were encircled with red rings.

Under the hood, the carmaker installed an upgraded version of the 5.4-liter supercharged engine. The V8 pumped out 24 horsepower and 40 Nm (29 lb-ft) more than its regular sibling. Mercedes-Benz also thought about stopping power by adding 390 mm carbon-fiber-reinforced ceramic disc brakes.

Nobody expected to look so similar to the 1999 prototype that was shown at the North American International Auto Show.

The series model was introduced in late 2002 and looked very similar to the concept car. The McLaren SLR was built using Formula 1 technology such as carbon-fiber underbody safety systems, special aluminum alloys, and active aerodynamic systems. Then, the roadster showed up in 2007.

The car was built at the TAG McLaren facilities in Woking, the U.K. It featured a lightweight construction using Formula 1 technology. The carbon-fiber structure and the active aerodynamic were developed for the F1 racing cars and they were installed on the SLR. It was the most sophisticated sports car ever built to then. Under hard braking, an aerodynamic brake was released from the top of the trunk-lid, like a fixed parachute. The light-alloy wheel design was specific for that model and they looked like a turbine. It wasn't only for the show, they were extracting the air from the wheel-wells and helped to cool the brakes.

To climb inside the car, the door was opened upwards. The side sill was wide, like the one in the 300 SLR Gullwing. The interior featured a combination of aluminum, carbon-fiber, and leather. The start-button was under a cover on top of the gearshift lever, like in a fighter-jet.

Under the hood, there was a 5.5-liter supercharged V8 engine. It was mated to the 5G-Tronic gearbox, but fitted with different software and badged as an AMG Speedshift R gearbox.