Autocar - First for car news and reviews

This is the Mercedes SLR Stirling Moss, a speedster version of the McLaren-Mercedes supercar without a roof or windscreen that marks the end of the SLR’s six-year lifespan.

Costing €750,000 (£672,000, twice the price of the standard car), this 75-model limited edition is meant as a tribute to Moss, who drove Benz 300 SLR racers to Mille Miglia and Targa Florio victories in the 1950s.

It also marks the Anglo-German alliance that McLaren and Mercedes are about to conclude.

Read the full article

It's everything that Sir Stirling isn't: brash, tasteless, inelegant, ugly, monstrous and totally devoid of charm.

Autocar:

It also marks the Anglo-German alliance that McLaren and Mercedes are about to conclude.

More like, marks the end of a disastrous partnership that resulted in a car that was neither the lightweight F1 successor Mclaren wanted, nor the ultimate luxury sports car Mercedes wanted. It failed in so many areas, especailly in terms of sales which never got anywhere near projected figures.

Funny how you have to be a previous SLR buyer to buy one of these, clever marketing trick as Mercedes probably knows that only people who've already bought an SLR would consider this obese, vulgar motor.

UGLY.

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.....but for this to be seen as beautiful surely requires the beholder to have lost their sight.

I could start a torrent of abuse aimed at the 'styling' of this car, but like the designers...I can't be bothered.

Can't help thinking that Stirling is regretting his decision to allow his name to be associated with this bucket of smashed crabs.

Here is an excerpt of the Marketing guff on the design…very amusing.

 ‘Even when standing still, the sports car radiates such dynamism that the observer immediately falls under its spell’. (enough of a spell to charge twice as much as a standard car and get away with it?)

You can find the rest of this nonsense here: http://jalopnik.com/5113933/2009-mercedes-mclaren-slr-sterling-moss

I hope the lights are good, because the only time you would want to drive it is at night.

I fail to see who this car will appeal to, and when the heck they'd drive it, even if they have owned an SLR before.

A pointless, gaudy piece of automotive dress jewellery.

It looks nowt like SM's old SLR...

When it came out, the SLR was never described as a failure. I've got the original Autocar road test somewhere, it was quite positive. I certainly wouldn't say no to one. Although I really do think front-engined 2 seater cars are completely pointless, however this may sneak through on the front-mid technicality.

If you saw one of these on the road, it would just look insane, like something from space!

Where shall i start?, oh i know is there a need  or the car?,NO! Will it sell?YES there is only goingto be 75 of them so i'm sure the Saudi royal family will buy them for trips back and forward to the loo!.Iy does have some resemblence to the 722 a bit , if you stick somebodys name on anything it instantly becomes the must have, be it a car a watch or even aftershave. We are a species like lemmings we follow blindly on because if some one famous puts there name to it it must be good,the best.These types of cars are for people who move in a diferent world to us ,maybe we should never see them as the rest of us are in a recession and most of us see them these cars as a waste of money , i mean we 'll never have them , we need affordable transport.Yes life has lost its smile at the momentand it might not return for a while,this car does not have the wow factor to make anyone smile who is like the rest of us!.

Whats truly sad and I do mean sad; is that this chassis is just about the most advanced in the world. This chassis is stiffer and safer than any other- with the possible exception of the Bugatti. I know that between the US and Europe there are over 100 thousand road deaths per year. Thats a whole lot of people. If people had access to technology like this, I have no doubt that number would be cut possibly in half. And before anyone goes off on me that number is reguardless of very very stupid driver behaviors such as not knowing how to drive and being high on crack or weed. So yes we need responsibility as well.

 Carbon Fiber chassis could be productionized if there was the inclanation. JL

Oh BTW here is a UK effort with Lotus dated all the way from 2002....

http://www.azom.com/details.asp?ArticleID=1662#_Racing_Cars_versus

 

Splendid timing though...  

Utterly revolting and totally tasteless.

 

Very obviously designed for old fat Germans with absolutely no taste and wearing short leather trousers ! ! !

 

How can a major motor manufacturer with such global respect as MB make such an enormous marketing mistake.

 

As for linking it to one of the best, most reserved and most capable drivers the world has ever known, words do quite literally fail me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Interesting to read the difference between the comments posted here and those on an Italian car website I visit. Nearly all the Italians think this Mercedes is beautiful. Personally I think Mercedes design had lost the plot in recent years but I like this a lot. Obviously the timing is not great and you get the impression that they're flogging a dead horse with the SLR by now but I see this as a return to form for Mercedes design. I found the origninal SLR "totally tasteless" but this is far less fussy and more resolved. The most desireable Merc in a long time for me.