The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is an Anglo-German supercar jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive, built in Portsmouth and the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. At the time Mercedes-Benz owned 40 percent of the McLaren Group.

Due to the presence of the automatic gear box, front mid-engined arrangement, and its driving characteristics, some commentators to classified the SLR McLaren as a GT whose rivals can be considered to be vehicles like the Aston Martin DBS V12 and Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.

SLR stands for “Sport, Leicht, Rennsport” (sport, light, racing). Mercedes-Benz stated that they would build 3,500 SLRs over a span of seven years, with an annual production of 500 cars. The car’s base price is GB£300,000 (approx. US$495,000 or €346,000, c. 2009).

722 Edition

A new version was introduced in 2006 called the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition. The “722″ refers to the victory by Stirling Moss and his co-driver Denis Jenkinson in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR with the starting number 722 (indicating a start time of 7:22 a.m.) at the Mille Miglia in 1955.

The “722 Edition” includes an engine rated 650 PS (480 kW; 640 hp)@6500rpm and 820 N·m (600 lb·ft)@4000rpm, with top speed of 337 km/h (209 mph) (3 km/h (1.9 mph) faster than the standard SLR). 19-inch light-alloy wheels were used to reduce unsprung weight, while modifications were also made to the suspension, with a stiffer damper setup and 10 mm (0.39 in) lower ride height introduced for improved handling. Larger 390 mm (15 in) diameter front brakes and a revised front air dam and rear diffuser were fitted.

Exterior changes, other than the larger 19-inch (480 mm) black light-alloy wheels, include red “722″ badging, harking back to the original 722 racer, and slightly different taillights and headlamps.

The SLR 722 can go from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.6 seconds, 200 km/h (120 mph) in 10.2 seconds and 300 km/h (190 mph) in 29.6 seconds and can reach a top speed of 342 km/h (213 mph).