Thursday, March 4, 2010

Mercedes SLR Stirling Moss, 2009

Mercedes SLR Stirling Moss, 2009


With the SLR Stirling Moss Mercedes-Benz and McLaren are adding the crowning glory to the model family of their highly successful SLR super sports car with a new, uncompromisingly spectacular car. There is neither a roof nor a windscreen to separate the driver and passenger from the outside world; they enjoy unadulterated high-speed excitement with all the attributes of a speedster.

The new Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss is also characterised by the most sophisticated technology and a breathtaking design which reinterprets the SLR legend. With 478 kW/650 hp the SLR Stirling Moss accelerates its V8 supercharged engine from standstill to 100 km/h in less than 3.5 seconds, and has a top speed of 350 km/h - no other series-production car is at the same time so open and so fast. This extreme concept makes the new high-performance sports car a legitimate bearer of the name of the British motor racing legend and Mille Miglia record-holder Stirling Moss, who drove the legendary Mercedes-Benz SLR racing cars from victory to victory during the 1950s.

The exclusive Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss rounds off the current SLR family and is limited to 75 units. It is priced at 750,000 euros. The SLR Roadster will cease to be manufactured at the end of May 2009 as planned, and production of the Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss will commence in June 2009.

Three letters are all it takes to make car fans' hearts beat faster: SLR. In the 1950s the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR celebrated victory after victory. It won the Mille Miglia and the Targa Florio as well as the Tourist Trophy. It was driven by the stars of the time: Juan Manual Fangio and Karl Kling - and, first and foremost, by the British racing driver Stirling Moss. At ten hours, seven minutes and 48 seconds he still holds the Mille Miglia record.


As the new Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss unites the character of the current SLR models with the fascination of the SLR of 1955. The core values of both the historical and the present-day SLR models include an exciting new design, innovative technology, high-class materials displaying perfect craftsmanship, and, above all: a unique driving experience for all the senses.


Highly puristic concept without a roof or a windscreen

Remaining totally true to the specifications of the 300 SLR, the new Silver Arrow's equipment is extremely sophisticated and yet at the same time decidedly spartan, doing without both a roof and side windows. There are just two wind deflectors a couple of centimetres in height to protect the driver and passenger from the airflow. Two air scoops integrated into the bodywork serve as roll-over bars. With this extreme concept the new Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss is visually very different from all the other vehicles which belong to the elite sports car class.

Just like the legendary racing vehicles of yesteryear, the SLR Stirling Moss dazzles with its superlative performance. Accelerating from zero to 100 km/h in less than 3.5 seconds and with a top speed of 350 km/h this puristic high-performance sports car denotes completely new dimensions in open-top driving. And not just because of the impressive performance figures; every time drivers take to the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss their senses are addressed with a previously unheard of intensity, conveying a driving experience in its purest and most sensual form. This automotive thoroughbred thus facilitates the kind of open-air feeling that is utterly unique for a road-going vehicle.

Exciting design reminiscent of the SLR racing cars

The Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss, its entire bodywork made of fine lightweight carbon fibre, represents a stand-alone design concept. Whilst the Mercedes-Benz designers were working on the body of the new SLR Stirling Moss, they were fully aware every single moment that they were creating a vehicle with a top speed of 350 km/h. At the same time this supreme athlete is highly reminiscent of the SLR racing cars from the 1950s, whose design idiom still never fails to impress to this day.

The Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss sports an exciting, pronounced arrow-shaped form and is characterised by an elongated bonnet and a compact, muscular rear. As there is no windscreen, the exterior and interior flow smoothly into one. The bonnet also stretches from its striking tip right down into the interior, giving the vehicle body a distinctly sleek air. Even when standing still, the sports car radiates such dynamism that the observer immediately falls under its spell.

The vehicle can be closed by two tonneau covers which are carried in the boot. When both tonneau covers and the doors are closed the Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss resembles a sculpture.

In keeping with the puristic exterior of the vehicle, the interior is also reduced to the bare essentials. Surfaces penetrating each other in the instrument panel and doors make for an exciting atmosphere and resonate perfectionism. A mixture of high-class authentic materials such as carbon fibre, aluminium and fine-quality leather sets the style here. An aluminium plate carries the engraved signature of Stirling Moss and covers the area around the shift lever.

Innovative technology and polished aerodynamic concept

Developers working on the Stirling Moss were able to fall back on a wealth of experience gathered when producing the SLR Coupé and Roadster, in particular where the technical base was concerned, with its extravagant carbon-fibre design, high-performance suspension and throaty V8 engine. The common denominator uniting the Stirling Moss with the other members of the SLR family is the aerodynamic concept with a closed underbody and a diffuser in the rear bumper for maximum possible downforce at the rear axle - with one difference: the diffuser here is considerably larger than that on the coupé and roadster.

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