MTC marks 20 years of Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
The McMerc was first seen at Frankfurt in 2003 - we wouldn't see a supercar like it again
What a time the early 2000s was for supercars. In addition to icons from recognised brands like Porsche (Carrera GT), Ferrari (Enzo) and Lamborghini (Murcielago), we also saw the emergence of some smaller players like Pagani and Koenigsegg. Which did alright for themselves. And let’s not forget perhaps the most intriguing of them all - the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.
We say intriguing because even now, 20 years on - with the SLR Club meeting at Woking to celebrate - the SLR remains so many different cars in one four-wheeled package. On the one hand, it’s the carbon tubbed McLaren exotic, while also being the flawlessly appointed Mercedes mega GT. There was a 722 GT race car (that nobody really remembers very much) as well as roadgoing Roadster that probably suited the SLR character better. Both Mercedes (with the Stirling Moss) and McLaren Special Operations (with the High Downforce Kits and McLaren Editions) evolved the SLR in a direction they saw fit, without both ever collaborating again on making the very best car. Curious.
It's a fascinating car and an equally interesting story, the 1999 SLR Vision concept receiving the green light under the name ‘Project 7’ just before the 21st century ticked over. It felt like a match made in heaven at the time, given the Mercedes-McLaren F1 team was doing so welll. A car with mighty Mercedes V8 and a carbon tub from the experts at McLaren should have been the dream supercar for the early 2000s. It was undoubtedly fast, the supercharged 5.4-litre engine producing 626hp and 575lb ft - enough for 3.8 seconds to 62mph and 208mph. The SLR was the first volume production car to be built at the McLaren Technical Centre, too.
The Mercedes-McLaren alliance didn’t quite succeed as well on the road as on the track, however. It wasn’t raw enough to be a genuinely thrilling supercar, but neither was it a truly long-legged cruiser. It’s interesting to see the terminology now used for the SLR, McLaren describing it as a ‘front-mid engined super GT that more than matched up to the supercars of the era’.
So perhaps it didn’t hit the bullseye when new, but the SLR is enjoying something of a renaissance in recent years as it becomes appreciated for all that it is - rather than everything it isn’t. This remains a car with a McLaren carbon tub, an almighty V8 engine (and sound), plus the sort of high-class hot rod styling that’ll still make folk stop and stare. For hundreds of thousands less than its similarly powerful contemporaries. That McLaren is still finessing the concept (the ‘by MSO’ programme was launched in 2019, the first HDK handover was this year) shows the potential that was there in the SLR and the fondness that still exists for it. We’ll certainly not see its like again.
With more than 2,000 SLRs made between 2003 and 2009, they aren’t as hard to find as might be expected for a 20-year-old exotic. Perhaps another reason why they weren’t always regarded as quite as ‘special’ as some other similar cars. One dealer has two on PH, a 2005 coupe with just 4,000 miles (and more than 700hp), plus a Roadster that’s believed to be one of only nine UK cars. And if that’s a little meek, someone willing to travel (and with €900,000) could be the owner of a 722 Roadster with just 400 miles recorded.
Having stood next to the 722GT when it was warmed up, the sounds and smells are gorgeous
I'd love a 722 SLR and the Stirling Moss edition in my lottery garage thank you very much
Saw one on the way home from a Silverstone event a few years ago, immense road presence
There's a guy in the US, Manny Koshbin, who amongst a stable of some of the rarest modern Hypercars in the world has 9 SLRs. Just got his SLR HDK delivered a few weeks ago. Not sure I'd ever need 9 but I applaud his dedication
A bit of a hero car for me as a child of the 90s, so expectations were quite high.
It's fast. Good God it's fast. My father has a 2011 XK-RS which is pretty fast by most standards, but the SLR feels like it has more than a 70bhp advantage over an already fast car.
To begin with it feels quite confusing, the dim-witted gearbox sits awkwardly alongside the stiff ride (which in fairness does get a lot better with speed) and the heavy steering, visibility is poor and fuel economy is non existent; I've never seen more than 12mpg even on a good run. The brakes are every bit as tricky to modulate as everyone says.
It's definitely much happier once it's on an A Road, the width, ride quality and the slow gearbox matter less once you're up to speed. It feels well put together, and it's surprisingly practical for such a car. It's not the sort of car you'd want to hammer down your favourite, twisty bit of road, it is much happier on the open road.
I see that their values have risen a little over the last year or so, which I feel is fair compared to other contemporaries justifying much higher values. This car is something quite different from anything else, yes an Aston Martin DBS, Ferrari F12/812 is more powerful, they will be considerably cheaper to run and will have more modern equipment and conveniences, none have the presence or rarity value of this carbon tubbed, hand built British GT.
Just don't expect it to be cheap to run, this particular example I have driven is currently at Brooklands having a service and a few other bits looked at, I don't expect the owner is going to get much change out of £10k for the pleasure.
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