Stuttgart, Germany, May 4, 2007– Have you ever longed to join the 200-mph club but didn’t want to build a streamliner in your garage and tow it to the Bonneville Salt Flats? Well Mercedes-Benz announced today that it has an answer to your dreams – it will offer the SLR McLaren super sports car as a roadster with a top speed of 207-mph.
You’ll be able to take your daily driver to the Flats and show those racing diehards how the latest Formula 1 technology (the SLR McLaren is constructed almost entirely of carbon fiber, providing a high degree of safety as well as extreme torsional rigidity for outstanding handling) can help you soar.
The key factor for that claimed top speed of 207 mph is the Roadster’s supercharged (Kompressor) 5.5-liter, 617-hp AMG V8 engine. But it’s not just about power and speed – he tries to say convincingly. Style, comfort and the joy of top down driving also add to the mix of stimulators for all your pleasure receptors.
Whether you going fast, enjoying a pleasure drive or taking care of everyday business. But I do think run of the mill trips to the hardware store will be a lot more fun and I’ll bet when you go out to dinner the valets park your Roadster out front – close to the door. It’s probably worth buying just to cut down on waiting time after dinner. U.S. deliveries of this new model will begin in Fall 2007.
Like the SLR coupe, the new Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster once again looks to the legend of the successful SLR racing models from the 1950s with the innovative technology of modern Formula 1 vehicles from the Vodafone-McLaren-Mercedes racing team.
Distinctive stylistic elements such as the arrow-shaped tip of the Formula 1 Silver Arrow, establish a visual link with the racing cars. The SLR legend of the ‘50s influences the styling of the distinctive lateral louvers, side pipes behind the front wheels and the wide-opening gullwing doors.
Apart from two aluminium engine frames, its body is made entirely of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) materials, making the vehicle an exception among high-performance sports cars. The result is low weight, extremely high occupant safety as well as a degree of torsional rigidity not possible in traditional open-top vehicles.
The exceptional qualities of the Roadster are partly due to the fully-retractable top, which blends into the sleek silhouette of the SLR McLaren. Its newly developed roof material - available in three colors - not only guarantees complete practicality for everyday use, but gives the high-performance sports car the quiet cabin of a closed car. The company claims that conversation is still possible at well over 120mph on open-air journeys because of its “aeroacoustics.”
The semi-automatic roof opens or closes in less than ten seconds, providing a perfect combination of convenience and open top driving pleasure. To open, the roof simply needs to be unlocked from the windshield frame and be briefly raised, after which it folds away electrically. An aluminium cover is integrated into the front section, the roof elegantly closes off the top when retracted.
The rakish styling of the Roadster was refined for high speed driving in wind tunnel tests designed to dial in its handling, aeroacoustics and aerodynamics. The Roadster also employs the aerodynamic concept employed on the SLR coupe, including an airbrake integrated into the access lid and a diffuser in the rear bumper to provide increased downforce on the rear axle.
The open two-seater is equipped with a racing-type chassis featuring high-performance carbon-ceramic brake discs for enhanced braking performance, while its front-mid-engine design provides for optimum weight distribution. With 617-hp and a maximum torque of 575 lb.ft, the supercharged (Kompressor) 5.5-liter, AMG V8 engine is coupled to an AMG Speedshift R five-speed automatic transmission, which propels the Roadster from zero to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds.
Safety features abound including unique carbon-fiber crash elements, steel-reinforced A-pillars and two fixed roll-over bars. The comprehensive specs also feature adaptive airbags, knee and side airbags as well as seat belt tensioners and a tire-pressure monitoring system.
Standard equipment includes semi-aniline-leather-upholstered carbon-fiber bucket seats which can be individually adapted to the driver and front passenger by means of differently sized seat pads; dual-zone automatic air-conditioning; a high-quality BOSE premium sound system and a multifunction sport steering wheel with shift paddles.
Producing the new Roadster at McLaren's Formula 1 factory in Woking, England, is a clear signal that this car will turn your daily driving experiences into world class events. Checkered flags are optional.
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