Mercedes McLaren SLR Stirling Moss unveiled

By Ben Pulman

First Official Pictures

22 December 2008 10:46

Mercedes has ignored the credit crunch – and the plethora of other special edition SLRs – and launched the €750,000 (c. £710k) SLR Stirling Moss speedster as a farewell tribute to its McMerc supercar. Just 75 will be built and each will pack 641bhp. That’s enough to reach 217mph – yet there's no windscreen...

Sir Stirling Moss's name joins the SLR tag, as the 1950s SLR driver still holds the Mille Miglia record at 10 hours, 7 minutes and 48 seconds at the wheel of a famous Merc. Fittingly, the SLR Stirling Moss will be the last member of the SLR family, as the Merc-McLaren supercar makes way for the Mercedes Gullwing and the McLaren P11 in the coming years.

For your £710k, you don’t get a windscreen or a roof or side windows, but you do get a supercharged 5.5-litre V8 with 641bhp and 590lb ft of thrust. That’s enough for 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 217mph – but with only two tiny screens to deflect the wind it’s perhaps best you wear a helmet. Otherwise, an appointment at the Moorfields Eye Hospital is surely a foregone conclusion...

All the SLR Stirling Moss's bodywork is carbonfibre and completely different from the coupe or roadster, with heavily contoured wings, black-painted ‘gills’ and twin air scoops that also act as rollover bars. There’s a flat underfloor and a much bigger rear diffuser than you’ll find on the hard- or soft-top SLR. The airbrake still features, automatically deploying if you brake above 75mph, or popping up manually if you’re a show-off.

Two tonneaus allow you to cover the cockpit – you wouldn't want the cabin's carbonfibre, leather and aluminium plaque with Sir Stirling Moss’s signature getting soaked or vandalised now, would you?

Production of the Moss special edition starts in June 2009 and when all 75 are made by December 2009, the SLR will be officially dead.

Sorry to see the SLR go, but happy it's going out with a bang? Or good riddance? Click 'Add your comment' below and have your say

By Ben Pulman