SLR
With leading names in the revered automotive sphere unveiling and then producing number-cracking hyper exquisite supercars, it seemed that a turn for more power was evident. Enter an all-new era for Mercedes. With McLaren as their partner, in 2004, the SLR was born.
Armed with a supercharged 5.5-litre V8 making 625 PS and 780 Nm, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, to take its full name, was one that made it a high — if not top — priority on enthusiast and aficionado wish-lists. Made almost entirely from carbon-fibre, the silver-arrow-like bodywork, with its mix of vents, gills and prominent lines and those turbine-style wheels, made it stand out, and do so even today. Posters soon followed and the world took notice. They didn’t stop there.
Two years later, the M113-derived M155 V8 motor was bumped up even further in a more exclusive 722 edition — signifying the starting time of their ‘722’-numbered winner of the 1955 Mille Miglia, piloted by Mercedes-Benz factory driver Stirling Moss with navigator Denis Jenkinson. Here, it produced 650 PS and 820 Nm. This allowed a blistering 3.6-second 0-100 km/h time and a top speed of 336 km/h. A 722 S Roadster followed; just as quick, too. One year later, a more potent and even more exclusive 722 GT surfaced with all of 690 PS and 868 Nm.
The swansong came in the form of the exquisite SLR Stirling Moss, named after the racing legend himself. With the 650-PS supercharged V8 doing duty in this open race car reimagined, the SLR Stirling Moss was capable of 0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 350 km/h. This made it the fastest open car in the world at the time. Only 75 were made.
Recalling the 1950s, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR celebrated victory after victory, winning the Mille Miglia, the Targa Florio, as well as the Tourist Trophy, driven by none other than Juan Manual Fangio, Karl Kling, and, first and foremost, by Stirling Moss. At 10 hours, seven minutes and 48 seconds, Sir Stirling Moss still holds the Mille Miglia record.
