Cars - Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

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	Cars - Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is a sports car and supercar automobile co-developed by DaimlerChrysler and McLaren Cars. It is assembled at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England. Most people presume "SLR" to stand for "Sportlich, Leicht, Rennsport" (German for "Sport; Light; Racing"). The car's base price is £300,000.

History

The Mercedes McLaren SLR is inspired by the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR of 1955. This sports car racer was actually based on the W196 F1 car, yet named after the road-going Mercedes 300SL Gullwing.

Engine

The SLR has a supercharged 5.5 (5439cc) litre dry sumped 90 degree V8. It produces 466.8 kW at 6500rpm (626 hp) and 780 N·m (575 ft·lbf) torque at 3250 - 5000 rpm. Unlike most of its contemporaries, is front-mid mounted. AMG technicians took the original SL-55 AMG engine and optimized its capacities by enlarging the fuel pump, the cylinders, and put a larger cooling system that absorbs air to cool down the engine.

It has 3 valves per cylinder with SOHC. This is very unusual as most supercars, indeed most modern cars, have DOHC and 4 valves per cylinder. The supercharger is screw type and the 2 aluminium rotors have a maximum speed of 23,000 rpm. It is mounted between the two engine banks and uses 120bhp at maximum capacity.

Brakes

The brake discs are carbon-ceramic which provide better stopping power and fade resistance than steel discs. Mercedes-Benz claim these disks are fade resistant to 1000 °C. The front disks are internally vented and 370mm in diameter. 8 piston calipers are used. The result of these massive rotors is a maximum braking power of 1500kw. When it is wet the calipers automatically skim the surface of the disks to keep them dry.

The SLR also has a spoiler mounted on the boot which pops up when braking from high speeds. The spoiler greatly increases drag at high speeds. See for a picture of the spoiler down and up (in use). This additional braking power on the order of 0.25g of deceleration helps the car to stop quicker than any other car of its category.

The SLR has been criticised for its braking performance. While all agree that the brakes are extremely powerful, some critics argue they are either "on or off". Such critics include Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond. In addition to this when the SLR is under braking extra fuel is pumped in to cool the engine. Since the exhausts are mounted in front of the driver's position the smell of unburnt fuel is noticed in the cabin.

Jeremy Clarkson commented on the brakes that "They glow when you use them, and catch fire when you use them a lot"

Transmission

The SLR comes with a five speed automatic transmission with three separate modes; Sport, Supersport and Race. This is the same transmission as used in other performance models such as the SL65 AMG and the SLK 55 AMG. The Mercedes-Benz seven speed automatic transmission cannot handle power and torque output of the SLR hence it is fitted with only a five speed.

The gear ratios are as follows: 3.56:1, 2.19:1, 1.41:1, 1.00:1, 0.831:1.

Performance

Mercedes-Benz claims the car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and has a top speed of 334 km/h (208 mph)making it the fastest automatic car in the world. The car uses carbon fibre for its body construction which makes it lighter. The car is, however still quite heavy at 1768kg due to the weight associated with strengthening the car for the high speeds it is designed for. The SLR reaches 200 and 300 km/h in 10.6 and 28.8 seconds respectively. Quarter mile time is 11.6 seconds.

Notable owners

Paris Hilton (black)
Stefan Eriksson (silver) — notable for his Enzo Ferrari
crash and formerly of Gizmondo
Carl Freer — formerly of Gizmondo

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren ]

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