Mercedes SLR McLaren

We love a good supercar here at Wombat Motoring, and Mercedes' new collaboration with Formula One partners in crime - McLaren - is so tantalisingly close, you can almost smell it...

The new Mercedes SLR McLaren, which is set to celebrate its world premiere in spring 2003 (most likely at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September), revives the glorious tradition of the SLR and marks the reawakening of Mercedes' passion for super sports cars.

By resurrecting the famous SLR monkier, the Stuttgart-based car maker is evoking memories of the legendary racing cars of the 1950s, particularly the 300 SLR, circa 1955.

Many motor racing greats, including Sir Stirling Moss, Juan Manuel Fangio and Karl Kling sat at the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR and drove it to one victory after the next: the Mille Miglia in Italy, the Tourist Trophy in Northern Ireland and the Eifel Race on the Nürburgring.

Mid-2003: the SLR project is reaching its conclusion. Some four years on from the launch of the show-car in Detroit, a new GT model is entering the home straight and finishing with a final flourish.

In September 2003, it will go on show to the world, and will compete head to head with the biggest and baddest supercars in existence.

"Yesterday, today and tomorrow" is Mercedes' new catch-cry for the SLR.

The design concept makes it plain for all to see: the SLR takes both elements from the 1955 SLR racing cars and typical features from the modern-day, championship-winning Silver Arrows F1 cars.

A contemporary interpretation of stylistic elements lifted from the original SLR and design details taken from the 2003 Formula 1 Silver Arrows allow the 21st-century SLR to form a bridge between the past and the future, bringing cutting-edge motorsport technology to the road, just as the inspirational SLR Coupé did in 1955.

But beyond all the histrionics and race heritage and general PR hoopla, the new SLR really does look quite impressive, and will give the likes of Zonda, Ferrari, Lamborghini and hometown rivals BMW something to think about.

Weighing in at 1600kg, the SLR won't be the lightest supercar around, but that's okay, because it's motivation will have little trouble shifting such bulk.

Donated by Mercedes and fettled by McLaren, the nat-atmo, built-by-hand, 5.5-litre V8 engine didn't provide what both companies wanted in terms of torque - and so forced induction was agreed upon.

Spurning 'laggy' turbochargers, the SLR makes use of a rather large supercharger, which takes advantage of what Merc is calling a "water-based charge air cooler."

To you and me it's an air-water intercooler, but it does a fine job of shifting peak torque to lower in the rev range, while improving overall Newton meterage as well.

Interestingly, the 5496cc small block V8 has just 3-valves per cylinder, a single overhead camshaft [per cylinder bank] and diverts power to the rear wheels via a five-speed automatic transmission - but despite what appears to be a low-tech setup, the SLR is expected to hit 100km/h from rest in just 3.9 seconds.

Insiders say that the new Merc beast will cover the quarter mile in just 11.6 sec @ roughly 200km/h, which is seriously rapid, and such urgency will be made possible by the 460kW of power on offer @ 7000rpm.

Peak torque is still a disputed number, and Mercedes is being tight-lipped with the official amount until the car's launch. Still, that hasn't stopped the leaks, and rumours suggest an almighty 720Nm of torque will be on offer @ about 4000rpm (Update: the engine will produce 780Nm of torque). Top speed is expected to be about 210mph, or about 338km/h.

While the V8 engine doesn't have the same spiritual connection to Formula one as, say, BMW's upcoming V10 mill, a different example of the transfer of expertise from Formula 1 into sportscar development is the series production of sophisticated carbon-fibre composite materials in the construction of the chassis and body.

This allows the new Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren to boast a level of rigidity and strength never before achieved in road-going vehicles. High-performance brakes are also made from a new and innovative composite material: Fibre-reinforced ceramics stand out with their extremely high heat resistance, outstanding structural strength and long service life.

While the SLR's straight-line speed, huge reserves of power and remarkable stopping power are good to see, it is expected that the new Mercedes-McLaren supercar will provide serious drivers with a very sharp track-day tool, and it will be extremely interesting to see how it compares to the best of Italian and American supercar stock on the road.

Visually, the SLR is gorgeous, with it's the long and sweeping bonnet the first clue that this isn't just a Merc with a bodykit and quad xenons. It's also changed quite a bit since the version first shown at the 1999 Detroit Auto Show, particularly the interior and front spoiler.

The succinctly styled air gills in the wings, the eye-catching sidepipes, the compact tail and, last but by no means least, the gullwing doors all help breathe life into the SLR legend, while also forming an elegant and modernistic supercar.

The distinctive "twin-headlamp face", which has been blazing a trail since it first appeared in 1995, makes the cut but this time there's no room for halogens - quad xenon HID globes are standard, and the lights also swivel sligthty while cornering.

The bodystyling of the SLR is also modelled on the McLaren Mercedes Silver Arrows. The arrow-shaped nose, which encompasses the Mercedes star at the front and gives the bumper as a whole a bolder, more powerful look, stems from the championship-winning Formula One car, as does the twin-fin spoiler in the front bumper.

Again, this is more than just an identifying design feature, as it is also crucial to the vehicle's aerodynamics and engine cooling.

Seen from the side, the eye is immediately caught by the flat, wedge-shaped form of the new high-performance supercar. This is created primarily by the long bonnet, the steeply raked front windscreen, the rear-wards positioning of the passenger cockpit, the large wheels and the compact tail.

The designers have incorporated a further SLR element in the form of the finned side air gills in the front wings, although they do far more than recall just the design of the legendary racing cars from 1955: Today, as indeed back then, the side air outlets serve to ventilate the engine compartment.

The interior has also seen quite a bit of attention, with individually padded bucket seats, a multifunction steering wheel with racecar-type buttons for manual gear selection.

Clearly arranged chronometer-style gauges ensure that drivers can keep the SLR comfortably under control at all times, and that they have all the information they need conveniently at their fingertips.

High-grade materials set the interior tone: aluminium, carbon and supple "Silver Arrow" leather, which was specially developed for the new sports car and sets benchmark standards in terms of its quality and its material thickness.

While BMW is off reinventing it's entire line-up, courtesy of Chris Bangle and much to the chagrin of Beemer traditionalists everywhere, Mercedes is slowly massaging its familiar motoring forms in a fashion akin to Porsche, whose vehicles all contain the marque's distinct visual DNA.

The Mercedes SLR McLaren is the latest iteration of the German automaker's slowly-evolving style, and while not radically different to other AMG models, it's a pleasing visual style that links past cues with present.

And, as it stands, the new SLR will not only celebrate Mercedes' F1 triumphs, but also add another model to the now-flourishing supercar niche, and will no doubt fuel the passions of many enthusiasts in bar rooms and loungerooms right across the globe.

Expect a full report on the SLR from the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.