In the 1950s, the Mercedes-Benz SLR acquired a hallowed status in the world of motor racing. Quite apart from its long list of legendary race victories, its avant-garde technology and thrilling design instantly transformed it into a blueprint for all high-calibre Gran Turismo touring cars. The new Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster, which will be receiving its world premiere in autumn 2007, is likewise rife with charisma and technology that is ahead of its time. Just like today's Formula 1 racing cars, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster boasts a carbon-fibre construction that gives it very high levels of safety and exceptional torsional stiffness on a par with the Coupé version. This combines with a chassis with motorsport origins to produce outstanding handling characteristics. The 460-kW/626-hp AMG supercharged V8 engine under the bonnet of the new high-performance sports car propels it to a top speed of 332 km/h, matching the outstanding mark set by the Coupé. Despite the fact that the Roadster comes with a fully retractable soft top to fuse pure open-air driving bliss with the ultimate in performance, by no means do its occupants have to compromise on comfort or everyday practicality. The new Roadster thereby succeeds in taking driving culture and motoring pleasure into a whole new dimension for open-top super sports cars.
The SLR McLaren Roadster is bound to carve out a very special name for itself amongst the ranks of high-performance open-top sports cars. This is thanks to its motor-racing genes and the use throughout of high-tech materials that - despite all their inherent benefits - are generally only ever found in a few individual components of even premium series-production cars, if at all, due to the high costs and elaborate manufacturing processes involved.
This is particularly true of the high-strength yet lightweight carbon-fibre composite materials (CFRP) that are used. Mercedes-Benz and its Formula 1 partner, McLaren, have gathered many years of experience with this material that is conventionally used in the aviation and space industries. In an impact, carbon fibres have a level of energy absorption that is four to five times higher than that of steel or aluminium, while the weight advantage of this high-tech material over steel is around 50 per cent.
The new high-performance Roadster capitalises on all of these benefits. The complex carbon-fibre technology has furthermore undergone intelligent redevelopment for the Roadster's monocoque. The result is low weight as well as exemplary energy absorption courtesy of unique carbon-fibre crash structures, which translates into excellent occupant safety, plus a level of torsional stiffness that is unprecedented for an open-top car. This gives rise to the sort of scintillating performance that is normally the preserve of super sports cars with a fixed roof.
Puristic soft top designed for high speeds
The SLR McLaren Roadster's exceptional credentials are given a further boost by the fully retractable soft top that blends seamlessly into the vehicle's flowing lines. The newly developed material it is made from not only promises everyday practicality in all weathers, it also enables the high-performance sports car to attain speeds which are highly unusual for a roadster. For example, the top speed of 332 km/h with the roof up matches the extraordinary figure set by the Coupé. When driving with the top down, the vehicle's favourable aeroacoustics still allow the occupants to converse with one another at speeds far in excess of 200 km/h.
The roof opens and closes semi-automatically in around ten seconds, thereby harmonising the desire for supreme convenience with the Roadster's purist character. To open the roof, the driver simply has to release the catches in the roof frame and lift it up slightly before the electrohydraulic mechanism folds it together. The aluminium bow integrated into the front section of the roof forms a stylish cover for the soft top when it is folded down. A high standard of safety comes in the form of steel-reinforced A-pillars and two fixed rollover bars.
Streamlined aerodynamics and racing suspension
The Roadster's handling, aeroacoustics and aerodynamics were carefully honed for high-speed driving in the wind tunnel. It borrows the same aerodynamic concept already familiar from the Coupé, comprising an airbrake incorporated into the boot lid, an encapsulated underbody, as well as a diffusor in the rear bumper for generating maximum downforce.
In order to obtain optimum weight distribution for flawless handling dynamics and high braking stability, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster is designed as a front-mid-engined sports car with the drive unit placed behind the front axle. Its AMG supercharged V8 engine, featuring air-to-water intercooler, three-valve technology, dry-sump lubrication and four metal catalytic converters, is installed in a low-set position for a correspondingly low, and therefore favourable, centre of gravity. Coupled to an AMG Speedshift R five-speed automatic transmission, the power unit's 460 kW/626 hp and peak torque of 780 Nm launch the Roadster from 0 to 100 km/h in a fleeting 3.8 seconds.
The open-top two-seater is equipped with a suspension that was bred on the race track, an electrohydraulic brake system, as well as high-endurance carbon-fibre/ceramic brake discs which offer optimum braking performance, thermal resistance and durability.
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