1 MERCEDESBENZ SLR PROTOTYPE I FIRST DRIVE

TOP-ECHELON SUPERCAR OFFERS EVERYDAY

BY GREG W L E
600hpMemde3Benz SLRattheFranldun motorshowin Septemberwill be a laudmark moment in the evolutionof the hesupercar. Designedand w e r e d in cooperation with Mercedes' FL pvmerMcLpren, whichwllldethecahn fiber-bodiedmupe at a new kmyinEn&nd, itsmission iemDmlthrmdafrolnthe Il&sdAsmnMmiQFenari,

- I I..,-

he premiere of the

b m h e and Lambo&m. PorMemdes~the SLR r e p m e n o a long-sought graduation into the supac~l

mlcsafteraseriesofbamtingly fast AMG balmstormas

..

and even wilder mncept canr McLarm, of uwse, reached supercar fame in 1992with its sublime PI--a m still unbeaten ford - g o i n g d o r m a n c e a decade after ia, launch. Me&Benz aud McLaren h ' t mention the SLR in the same b m t h as the Ferrari Euw, Porache CluRn GT and

M u r c i * , thougb we rmgbt. instead, they point to its inhuent layout, with the engine up fnmt, and aayitismacaGTrivaIto the l i k e sof the Asmn Mvtin Vanquish and Fermi575 Mardo. BY all m , &though, the Aogl*-parme=hip forged to create a statedtheart supercarvia the successful F1 involvementhas been anydung b u t harmonious.Rumom of idightinpbeoueenmgineai n g teams, difteringcqiuiom

onstgkandexpW buagets have dogqd the d s three-yealdedopment ThrougbitnlZ-the q e c w u k d y styled SIR has m d to the pomt w h e r e
W'R M W h ~ e a n UW-prO-

duuial-~pnomcgp. After muchmenion m

rmrmged~paauedethepow-

athotbeinStuttgartand Wohng to let us get b h d thewheelforanacluslveteat dnve. ?he emphasls heze la on the wnd "protMgpe"'Ihe car we hammed mound the

I MERCEDES-BEN2SLR PROTOPlPE I FIRST DRIVE

I

sundrenched ldia& prmring grounds near BaMlona is not quite representative of the SLR that will go on sale this fdininuqxandinthe United States next summer. "It's close, but not LM) percent," says Antony Sheriff, McLaren managing director. AU the essential ingredientsthe p ~ r t that s will ultimately mold the SLR's on-road character--are already in place. The sciawr d w d n ' t let anyone tell you they are guUwing d a m , because they ain't-provide a wide apemue to climb through, but getting a b d the SLR is not as easy a it Iwks. The sills are wide and with a big transmission tunnel nuYling thmugh the cabin, it proves a tight fitit.The thinly upholstered, carbon fiber-backed seats are electlically adjustable for travel and height. 'I%e three-spoke steering wheel also adjusts for rake and reach. Once enswnced, the driving position is f i m y sp~rty, though taller drivers say the near-vertical position of the wheel hampers wmfart.Inside the pmmtypc it's dark, befause Mercedes-Benzhas mered various areas with a thick black fabric so as not to give t w much away three months before the official unveding. Production versiom will feature a luxurious leather-faced dashbaud along with alum& num-look surfaces. The parts on show look familiar in an SL55 kind of way. The instruments are similar, but with the inclusion of bold McLaren insignias and an extension of the speedometer to 360 km/h [a good 22.3 mph) and the tach redline up at 7000 rpm. Simple temperature and fuel gauges flank these. Strangely, ioo a car of such exalted performance credentials, there is no oil pressure or oil temperature gauge. Starting the SLR is an event in itself. F h t you trigger the ignition via a traditional key. Then you flip up a fighter jet11 AUTOWEEK JUNE 30.2W3

like 8ap atop the gear lever to reveal the starter button. Press it lightly and the SLR's engine instantly catches. There's no untamed shrill as the three. valve-percylinderunit ignites. We hope the production version will benefit fmm a bit

ridmg impression, at least at

lower revs, is one of polished refinement. The SLR's supercharged 5.4-liter V B is best desuibed as a distant cousin to a similarly specified engine used in the SL.55. The two stem from the

air inlet d o l d , increased supercharger boost pressure, as well as dry sump lubrication for more reliahle scavenging of the oil. Mercedes ongmally planned a solid 550 hp, but an exploeion in power ratings for many of the SLR's rivals ultimately forced it to nise this to "around MX) hp." The real acwmplishment is its torque. There's a reputed 575 lb-ft of the stuf141 lb-ft more than the 575 Maranello and 175 lbft up on the Vanquish. There's an incredible push all the way fmm its 500rpm idle to the 7WOrpm cutout. In the first three gears the acceleration is rampant. It feels quick-

more acoustic muscle at idle. The pmtotype we're assigned is decked out in silver. It's one of just two colors, along with McLaren's corporate black metallic, in which the new car will be sold. A short stab on the throttle unleashes a meaner sound ham those side-exit exhausts. However, the over-

same fam~ly but share few components. Among the changes made by MercedesBenz's AMG d~vls~on, whch d assemble the SLR's e w e s m Germany and s h p them to McLaren III England, IS a stdfened block, lncluslon of large heat extractors for each cyhder head, a complex new

er than did the CLK GTR used to homologate the wmpany's 1998 Le Maw race car. Neither Mercedes.Benz nor M c k e n is prepared to divulge acceleration hgures. "There's still a few tweaks before we can get down to the business of f i n a l validation," says Sheriff. He says production versions will hit M) mph from standstill in fractionally less than four seconds. It may not get as far under four seconds as the Enzo or Murcldago, but by way of companson mth the supposed appasluon, the 575 Maanello needs a fracuonally longer 4 2 seconds whle the Vanqush requres a whole 4 8 seconds Shenffalso reveals 11d hkely &p under 10 seconds for the dash to u X ) km/h 112.5 mphl and nudge 30xwnds m the

run up to 3M km/k 1186 mph). MucdesBenis policy of limiting its mad c a n to a mpnmum speed d 155 mph has
ban~onveniently sidestepped for the SLR. We can't say for cmain,but all indications BIT it will run m about UW mphat

through the banked m e r s . No chance! The SLR doesn't do deunum.Its acceleration is savage, but in a saPngely culhvated kind of way. N u d g e the throttle, b r a for the violent surge and thm as your body is s&cted m

descnbe as "the m e . " From an mmcated 240 km/k 1150 mph)we're shot like a bullet from a b a d . My helmet wob bles around the w h l k e a bobbleheaddoll as I cry to amtain the effects ofa IuUy mmpresscd~onagainstleas

so~md fantastic.They niso ham

allowed engineus m pmide the SLR with a flnt undpPny and a complex six-channel diffusaatthereushihm

thosefoundonLeMansm~. Coupled with the automatic spoiler m b a c k they endow the SLR with awenome high-speed stabiliy. Push a switch on the center console to raise the
spoiler to its highat position and you c a n actually fed the reu end of the CRI load up with added downfom. Ediaut! Afterfourlapsofthe4.6miledFcuittheIuUfloodof sensations leaves me gasping forbreathandcravingmore. I f Mexedes-km and McLprm really think the SLR is P rivd forthe MataueUo d VPnpuisq they are selling it shon by miles. It might iwk like a GT,with tbat lcmg bormet and all,butithnsthcgueda
we==.

Helping it scale such heights of pedormurcc is a reworked

veciionofthehveqd automaticused m the pPlotinl

linmusine. It gains remoteshiftbuttws bchind thcshedngwheelaswdaa

ahmharevixdversionof
AMG's S j k d e h i h electronics. The ddva can thane bmveen aummacic or whu Mac&s Benz describes as a sporty mnomatic, as well as manualmode via m t q switches 011 the unsole. In manual, the gearbox holds on to the d r i v e r ' s chosen P a , rdusinpto change UP, even at the redline, 1 the rev limiter pmtect the engine. What's more, the driver can

choosethe~venensof the shift in three distinct steps. The and decisivmem of the shifts up and down the
the engine's 700arpm redline in fifthgear, makingit the h a t mad c a r ever to w e a r the three-pointed stu. We're out on Idiada's highspeed test crack in amvoy behind Mucedes-Beds CL55 P1 pace w.We've heen told to keep~dmvnto155mph on the suai&ts and 75 mph (!) lamidable force. Ifs wcmderful,fli$lteuing.laaddictive allinone. Cominghighoffthebnnlriag onm the hr9traight m founh, a flick d the hrmnM m d the right-hand spo& on the steering wheel smds us up a gear. I nail the throttle hard and we're mto what Sheriff would Iatu

than smooth road surface, the 8peedo &y mduatmg z90...am...3iohqmii9~ mph),and the SLR i s still accelerating At these sp.odsit is appar-

emthecsr's~w haveheenurelullyhoned.
Those side-mountedexhausts don't lust look pmty and

gearbox in the fastest manual setting is a melation, making thoseintheSLS5snmslav and agueby mmpmbm. This makes the decision not m offa the SLR with a traditional manualgearbox of any kind seem j u s t i f i e d It also begs the questim:Is this the world's fastest automatic!
JUNE 30,2003 UIIOWZEK 1s

I MERCEDES-BEN2 SLR PROTOTYPE I FIRST DRIVE

If the power and acceleration
are s~pendous, the brakes are

awqome. The SLR employs massive carbon-composite discs similar to those used on F1 race cars. Brake where you t h i n k you should from the hgh side of 1U1 mph, and an initial feel of spoapjness prompts you to nudge a little further. Then, as if by some supernatural force, a set of enormous aluminum calipers bite viciously, and everydung is xenungly thrown into reverse. ?be sensation of decelerating close m the threshold of @p is almost as addictive as the deep bass bellow of the SLR's engine at full whack. Backmg up t h e mechanical aspect of the SLR's braking package is a so-calledair brake function incorporated into the rear spoiler. Similar to that w SLR five applied to the o decades ago,it instantly deploys when the driver gets hard on the brakes, &king the car's crucial center of pressure backward by up to one meter for improved stability and a mild reduction in stopping distances. Behind the headlines grabbed by the SLR's engine, gearbox and brakes lies an aluminumintensive c h i s of immense ability. No simple rehash of tbe SL's undqinnings here. As befits the SLR standmg at the top of the Mercedes-Benz lineup, it has its own aluminum suspension with double wishbones up front and a m u l d i d arrsngement at the rear. Th&s been no attempt to fit Active Body Control, as used on the SW5. Neither does the new twwwater rely on elecuonic damping like many of its superc a r rivals. "We went for a pure approach in the interest8 of dynamics," achowledges Sheriff. As mentioned, the SLR's engine is mounted ahead of the driver. But don't think of it as b e i simply front-engined. Though refusing to lift the hwd for us, Mercedes-Beaz
14 AWOWEU( JUNE 30,2003

says the blown V8 and all its p l u m b i i includmg giant catalytic umvexters, is mounted well behind the front axle line in a mid-engined position. This helps provide a 4951 frontto-res weight distribution. A row of bright orange

islnngly sharp and d e , the front end steadfastly resisting the urge to push even on constant-radiuscomers at insane speeds and the body retaining a fabulously flat attitude. Make no mistake, the SLR ventures onto the son of

mtches hats on a large expanse of smwth black bltumen is no subsurute for a senes of crackmg back-road bends, but n's the best we can do to sample the SLR's handhng Through the slalom course, tt felt aston-

dynanuc ground unreachable m lesser Mercedes.Benz models It can be coaxed mto carrying huge speed through turns and, once comnutted, IS tremendously stable w t h barely percepuble roll It's ~mmensely

flattering but, at the same time, it warrants irspect. A final verdict on the car's h a n k however, will have to wait until we get it on real roads. The rack-and-pinion steering. fairly direct at iust 2.3 rums lock-to-lock,relies on hydraulic assistance but does not vary its weghting a c m the speed range like other btgh-end Mercedes-Bau models. It is Wt-much lighta t h a n you'd expect fmm a topechelon supem--and uemendously quick, yet sensitive and, as far as we can tell, communicative enough to continue relaying valuable infonuation when it's b e i i pushed hard. Our early impression of the SLR's ride quality is o f a firm but not overly h h sen& with p o d compliance and loads of wheel travel given the car's towering performance. AU of which backs up Sheriff's claim that this new MercedesBenz will be the first topecheIon supercar to offer legitimate everyday usability. Usability or not, it is patently clear the SLR is going to leave an indelible mark on the supercar fraternity. Final pricing is still being determined, but don't expect much variation fmm the mid.W,WO price suggested by Mercedes. That's roughly what the Maybacb costs and a g n h u ~ t l y more expensive than the SL.55. And yet, despite the depesd world economy and predictions of funher finandal gloom, the German catmaker says firstyear production of a planned 500 cars is already sold out. This, despite the fact it will be produced in left-hand-drive guise only, much to the annoyance of our British friends. With news like that, you can bet the high-ups at Aston Martin, Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghh will be watching its progress into production and beyond with more than a touch of interest, or should that be concern! 8