There was a time when AMG wasn’t the go-faster powerhouse we know today. Instead, ridiculously large engines by European standards and smoking tires were the specialties of the mad professors from Affalterbach. During that era, Mercedes supplied McLaren with some of the most capable engines on the F1 grid, and this brings us to the SLR.
After two years of production, the three-pointed star became the sole owner of Aufrecht Melcher Grossaspach. This, in turn, meant that Mercedes would create a performance-focused brand right after the final example of the SLR rolled off the line in 2010. Coincidence or not, that’s also the year Daimler AG and a few other investors bought Brawn GP to create the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team.
Be that as it may, the Sport Leicht Rennsport is revered to this day as one of the greatest performance models ever offered by Mercedes. The question is, does the grand tourer stand a chance against a modern supercar? Given the age of the SLR, an entry-level supercar would be the most appropriate rival for a ¼-mile drag race.
AutoTrader UK has pitted the McLaren 540C against the blast from the past, and on paper, the two are pretty close in terms of weight-to-power ratio at 2.8 versus 2.9 kilograms per metric horsepower. Torque favors the Merc, and so does maximum speed although we’re dealing with a five-speed auto versus a seven-speed DCT.
First time out on the runway, the lowliest member of the McLaren Sports Series crosses the finish line miles ahead of the SLR. The more advanced traction control system, the stickier rubber, and rear-biased weight distribution help the 540C at the start, and the British supercar keeps that advantage until the end.
On the second run, the Sport Leicht Rennsport launches better yet the torque-converter automatic doesn’t hold a candle to the dual-clutch box of the Macca. Third time around, the SLR closed in on the new kid on the block for a photo finish.
Care to guess how these unlikely rivals with British know-how fare in a rolling drag race? Well, the answer to that is pretty obvious based on the previous three results.
Last, but certainly not least, AutoTrader UK tested the two models from zero to 100 miles per hour (160 kph) then back to zero. You can find out if the SLR can redeem itself starting from the 6-minute and 50-second mark of the following video.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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