Photo: James Edition
Before McLaren made the mistake to take Honda up on its offer to return to Formula 1 as an engine supplier, the Woking-based team used to run Mercedes power. McLaren’s tie-up with Mercedes-Benz produced three Drivers’ Championship titles and two Constructors’ titles, as well as one of the most bite-the-back-of-your-hand pretty Mercs of the 21st century.
The SLR McLaren is the Mercedes-Benz I’m on about, but this is not an ordinary specimen of the brood. It’s a full-on SLR 722 S, a roadster one of those, and it’s as rare as hen’s teeth. Currently in the inventory of a Saudi Arabian dealer, the pictured blast from the not-too-distant past shows 22,000 kilometers (13,670 miles) on the clock. The pics also reveal that it’s in immaculate condition, hence the massive price tag.
$745,000. Yes, seven hundred and forty-five thousand of them U.S. dollars. Only 150 units were ever made. And by made, that’s hand-crafted at McLaren’s HQ in Woking, not in Mercedes-Benz’s home market. And as the ’S’ suffix implies, this is a more focused animal compared to the SLR McLaren it’s based on. For starters, it sits 10 millimeters lower to the ground, and boasts a stiffer shock absorber configuration to enable swifter handling characteristics in the twists.
The engine is another area where McLaren’s artisans worked their trickery on. Bearing in mind the regular version of the M115 SLR V8 pushes 626 PS and 780 Nm in its standard tune, the better version heightens the drama to 650 PS and 820 Nm of torque. Those are mammoth output figures even by today’s standard, which makes this representative of the breed all the more enticing in today’s context.
3.7 clicks to 100 km/h (62 mph) is no small feat for a luxurious grand tourer. The 335 km/h (208 mph) top speed is equally impressive, and with the top down, it’s also wildly exciting to get near the SLR McLaren Roadster 722 S’ maximum velocity.
$745,000. Yes, seven hundred and forty-five thousand of them U.S. dollars. Only 150 units were ever made. And by made, that’s hand-crafted at McLaren’s HQ in Woking, not in Mercedes-Benz’s home market. And as the ’S’ suffix implies, this is a more focused animal compared to the SLR McLaren it’s based on. For starters, it sits 10 millimeters lower to the ground, and boasts a stiffer shock absorber configuration to enable swifter handling characteristics in the twists.
The engine is another area where McLaren’s artisans worked their trickery on. Bearing in mind the regular version of the M115 SLR V8 pushes 626 PS and 780 Nm in its standard tune, the better version heightens the drama to 650 PS and 820 Nm of torque. Those are mammoth output figures even by today’s standard, which makes this representative of the breed all the more enticing in today’s context.
3.7 clicks to 100 km/h (62 mph) is no small feat for a luxurious grand tourer. The 335 km/h (208 mph) top speed is equally impressive, and with the top down, it’s also wildly exciting to get near the SLR McLaren Roadster 722 S’ maximum velocity.
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