End of the Road for Mercedes-McLaren SLR?

Just checking some of the news items and other online sites here when I chanced upon an entry that says it is the end of the road for the Mercedes-McLaren SLR. Is this true? The site reports that Mercedes-Benz is set to end the production of the SLR supercar at the end of 2009. The phasing of this supercar has been started last year, that began with the coupe version of the SLR Mercedes. If indeed the SLR is set to retire in 2009, this supercar will end its brief 5 year stint in the market.

When the SLR was developed and introduced in the market, Mercedes planned for 400-500 SLRs to be produced every year. But its actual production never really took off. For 2007, 275 SLRs were produced and there was 261 SLRs in 2006. With the last supercar produced, it is expected that Mercedes and McLaren will part ways.

It is expected that McLaren is set to develop a new V8 car named P11.

Filed under: McLaren-Mercedes, Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren, News , coupe, McLaren, Mercedes-McLaren SLR

For Team Mclaren-Mercedes

You may notice that a number of my posts features the Mercedes, the collaboration of Mercedes and McLaren and of course my dream supercar of the moment, the Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR. So my fascination with Mercedes is out in the open! I realized that talking about Mercedes, and then McLaren will not be complete without discussing the racing tradition of McLaren. So this is the reason why I am making this first blog post about team McLaren-Mercedes of Formula 1, perhaps a more appropriate time since the racing season has begun. The team features Hamilton and Kovalainen as its drivers. Though I don’t religiously follow the race on ESPN since I am glued to tennis whenever its available, I’ll try to make it a point to catch some of the races on cable, even though its a replay. So from now on, some F1 news and views will fill my site so bear with me.

Filed under: Formula 1, McLaren-Mercedes, Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren , F1, Hamilton, Kovalainen, McLaren, McLaren-Mercedes, Mercedes

Rooney Wants a McLaren!

It seems that the SLR McLaren model of Mercedes-Benz has a lot of fans. It isn’t just the businessmen like Donald Trump who owns one, in fact even the Manchester United footballer Wayne Rooney has cast a moist eye on this supercar. So why can’t Rooney just enter a showroom and get one for himself? You see this Mclaren SLR of Mercedes is rare in Britain and only a handful are available. Add the fact that The football star wanted his SLR to be fitted with red leather- the main color of his team, Manchester United!

Wayne also owns a Bentley, a Range Rover and a Lamborghini. Also in the news is the other car of Wayne, the Aston Martin Vanquish S. This car is now up for sale in the market. Wayne was the very first owner of the 2006 Aston Martin Vanquish S, a British supercar. From the name of this model alone, you can bet that something rare and privileged comes with every Vanquish. I am intrigued and I think I have to blog on this yet again on my next blog entry.

Filed under: Mercedes Benz, Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren , Aston martin Vanquish S, Land Rover, Manchester United, Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren, Wayne Rooney

McLaren+Mercedes Benz= A Legend.

Donald Trump owns one. I’m dreaming of one. That’s how rare and special this Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is. Okay, my intro is lame.Haha. Now back to this amazing car coming from Mercedes-Benz.

This collaboration coming from a known and respected car manufacturer and an equally-reknowned racing participant has produced a top super car. From the engine, to the looks and to the overall construction and materials used- this super car is a league in itself.

The SLR Mclaren is classified as as sports car and this model is compared to the Porsche Carrera GT and the Enzo Ferrari. But thanks to the ride’s automatic gearbox, the front mid-engined arrangement and its driving characteristics, this car is often classified as a Super GT just like the Aston Martin V12 vanquish and the Ferrari 599 GTB. To further underscore the superioriority of the car, this Super GT is considered as the fastest automatic transmission car in the world.

So what makes the SLR different from the other cars out there? The difference lies in its engine, the construction and its engineering. At the center of the performance of the SLR is a 232 kilogram hand built, 5.4 liter supercharged all-aluminum SOHC V8 engine. With regards to the performance of the SLR, actual figures may vary, but is performance is rock-solid. This model can zoom from 0 to 100 km/h in about 3.1 seconds, from 0 to 200 km/h in 9.5 seconds and can race to 300 km/h in roughly 24.4 seconds. The car’s top speed of 360 km/h is nothing to sneeze at. Such power is well complimented by the presence of ultra-stylish and sporty looks and design that could make the SLR a stand-out in any gathering.

For 2006 a new version was introduced in the market, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition. The magic number 722 actually refers to the victory by Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson in a Mercedes-Benz SLR 300 with a starting number of 722 at the Mille Miglia in 1955. This is a better version of the SLR and this can race to 100 km/h in just 2.8 seconds! A tuned version of the 722 is also available, the 722 GT.

Filed under: Mercedes Benz, Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren, Uncategorized , Mercedes Benz, Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren, Mercedes-Benz Mclaren SLR 722

What’s Driving Our Billionaire$$?

If money is not a problem, what would you drive? If money is not an issue, what cars will you collect? Interesting questions is’nt it? Make you wanna stop your task for a while and dream on. Dreaming is free, and let me tell you the products of my dreams. Mercedes sports coupe’ always get me excited, Lexus sports coupe’ as well. Count an Eclipse, and throw in a tough pick-up of GM okay, make it a Silverado. Actually my list goes go and on for a while, in fact I am losing the focus of my content for the day! Okay, lets shift our attention to my current fixation. What’s driving our billionaires or should I say, what are they driving?

I asked this question since I come across an article on msn.com that deals with the cars of the rich. The article talks about what cars are most popular for the country’s rich, and what does it means if one person acquires a particular brand/model.

Take the case of billionaire Stephen Wynn, known for his high-end hotels like the Wynn Las Vegas. Wynn bought his wife a blue 2007 Ferrari F430 Spyder when they toured Ferrari’s facility in Milan. Aside from this model, Mrs Wynn also drives a Bently Arnage and a Jeep Grand Cherooke.

Another personality that spends so much for his car is real estate magnate Donald Trump. Trump likes Phantoms and Ferraris as well. He also drives a rare super car, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. The SLR McLaren should look like this.

This car combines that style and the luxury that is reserved for Mercedes Benz, and the brawn and power known to McLaren.  This model of Mercedes Benz features a full carbon-fiber monocoque, crash structures and body panels and this mdoel is powered by a 617 horsepower supercharged 5.5 Liter V8 engine. This engine can send the SLR from zero to 60 miles per hour in 3.8 seconds. Top speed of the SLR may top 200 miles per hour. Another thing that makes the SLR McLaren impressive is the fact that this car features a high level of protection for its occupants. Perhaps this is a carry-over from the fact that Formula 1 Racing is such a dangerous sport, so vehicle safety comes first.  This SLR is the first series production vehicle to incorporate  a front crash structure that is made exclusively from carbon. Carbon composite material as we know by now can provide rigidity and strength. This kind of material and engineering can absorb four to five times more energy in a severe frontal collison or impact on the road if comapred with other materials, like conventional steel.

Another cool collector is Ralph Lauren, the name behind Polo. His collections include a 1929 Blower Bentley, 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Coupe, 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, 1996 McLaren F1 and the 2007 Bugatti Veyron. His collection is cool and respectable, ( who am I kidding?) impressive to say the least.

Money for these people allows them to splurge not just on things that they fancy, but on things that reflect their own personalities as well. Lucky them! And for us ordinary mortals, what we can do is to dream and drool.

Filed under: Mercedes Benz, Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren, Uncategorized , 2007 BUgatti Veyron, Mercedes Benz, Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren