Press Release
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
Comprehensive Overview for the US
Related content:Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren - Design Concept
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren - The Technology
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Photo Album - 28 photos added/ 234 total
INTRODUCTION
The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren marks a new era of Mercedes-Benz passion for high-performance sports GT cars and, at the same time, celebrates the formidable SLR race cars of the 1950s. A futuristic interpretation of styling elements from the original 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SLR roadster, the legendary SLR "Uhlenhaut Coupe" and the latest Formula 1 Silver Arrow race cars bridges the past and future, bringing cutting-edge motorsports-inspired design to the road. Not only does the new SLR boast a rich heritage, but the new sports GT car also has an exciting future as a flagship within the multi-dimensional Mercedes-Benz brand. With by far the broadest product portfolio of any luxury automaker, Mercedes-Benz offers an array of models ranging from mid-size coupes to large premium sedans and wagons as well as sport utilities, luxury roadsters and now the limited-production SLR.A Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Collaboration
The new SLR super sports GT car showcases the collective experience of Mercedes-Benz and its Formula 1 racing partner McLaren in the development and production of high-performance sports cars. This unique combination of expertise is evident not only in the impressive performance and pioneering developments of the new SLR, but also in its high levels of safety and practicality.617-Horsepower V8 Powerplant
A front-mid-engine V8 producing 617 horsepower rockets the new SLR from zero to 60 miles per hour in under 3.8 seconds, and its top speed is over 207 mph. Stopping the car is equally quick, thanks to ceramic brake discs and an innovative air brake - an adaptive rear spoiler in the trunk lid. When the driver hits the brake pedal above 59 mph, the spoiler or wing pops up at a 65-degree angle, increasing air drag and providing greater down force.AMG Supercharged Power
Each supercharged SLR engine is hand built at AMG's manufacturing facility in Affalterbach, Germany. The engine's dry-sump lubrication system (originally developed for race cars to prevent oil starvation during extremely hard cornering) includes a remote oil tank that eliminates any conventional oil pan or sump, allowing the engine to be mounted lower in the frame for better aerodynamics and an even lower center of gravity. The powerplant is also mounted in a front mid-engine position -- behind the front wheels.Carbon Fiber Body
One dramatic example of technology transfer from Formula 1 racing is the carbon fiber composite construction of the SLR body, which provides rigidity and strength never before achieved in road-going vehicles. Equally impressive is its high level of occupant protection. In a serious collision, specially designed crash structures of carbon fiber help the new super sports GT car absorb over four times more crash energy than convention steel or aluminum.Ceramic Brake Discs
The ceramic brake discs on the SLR are made of a new composite material - a carbon fiber-reinforced ceramic that boasts astounding stopping power, high heat resistance, outstanding structural strength and long service life. The high-performance SLR is one of very few production cars to make use of ceramic brake technology. Fitted with huge eight-piston calipers up front, the brake system alone can decelerate the SLR up to 1.3 g, and the air brake or adaptive rear spoiler adds to the brake force, especially at high speeds.Reinventing the SLR Legend
The first SLR was one of the most successful sports racing cars of all times, and like the new car, the SLR of the 1950s combined leading-edge technology from the SL sports car and the Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 race car. Its three-liter, straight-eight engine made 310 horsepower, pushing the 300SLR to speeds of around 190 miles per hour. The original SLR's most astonishing feat took place at the 1955 Mille Miglia -- at the time, a no-holds-barred race through Italy over twisty public roads. Setting a record never to be matched, Stirling Moss and Dennis Jenkinson piloted the 300SLR over the 1000-mile road course in 10 hours, seven minutes and 48 seconds!The Uhlenhaut Coupe
Perhaps the purest roots of the new SLR can be traced back to the legendary Uhlenhaut Coupe. Head of both passenger and race car development at Mercedes-Benz in the 1950s, Rudolph Uhlenhaut built two street-car prototypes of the formidable race car, but the coupe versions never went into production. The 300SLR coupe - known to car enthusiasts as the "Uhlenhaut Coupe" - incorporated some of the design and technology from the 300SL Gullwing with the 300SLR roadster. Weighing less than 2500 pounds and boasting 310 horsepower, the Uhlenhaut Coupe had a top speed of about 180 miles per hour, making the two-seater the fastest car of its time to be registered for use on public roads.SLR ENGINE
Prodigious power and high-tech features drawn from the racing world - these qualities define the first V8 developed exclusively by Mercedes-AMG. Their engineers meshed the high standards of the Mercedes-Benz brand with their 30 years of motorsports experience. The culmination of their initial analysis encompassing a wide range of engine designs, they settled on a 90-degree V8 displacing 5.5 liters and using a screw-type supercharger. The bottom line is impressive - from a mere 1,500 rpm, the SLR powerplant delivers over 440 foot-pounds of torque, which builds to well over 500 ft.-lbs. at 2,000 rpm. Its maximum torque of 575 ft.-lbs. begins at 3,250 rpm and continues undiminished to 5,000 rpm! This muscular torque curve (or mesa!) plus agile throttle response and a peak output of 617 horsepower at 6500 rpm make it one of the most powerful production engines in a modern street car.First, Let's Squeeze the Intake Air
The SLR engine makes use of a mechanical supercharger - essentially an engine-driven air compressor - which pressurizes intake air for increased torque and horsepower. Unusually compact, the SLR supercharger unit is nestled between the two banks of the V8 powerplant and features two screw-type aluminum rotors that are Teflon-coated for low friction and high air pressurization. Driven by the crankshaft via a poly-V belt, the Lysholm-type supercharger rotors can spin up to 23,000 revs per minute, forcing air into the engine at a pressure of 13 pounds per square inch or 0.9 bar. This means the supercharger pushes about 40,000 pounds of air per hour into the engine, up to 30 percent more than other such systems!Then We'll Cool It Off
Pressurizing the engine intake air makes it hot and reduces its density, so the super-charged air passes through two intercoolers - one for each cylinder bank -- on its way to the engine. The water-cooled intercoolers act as radiators to cool off the hot air and keep it dense, increasing the amount of oxygen and ensuring top power. The intercoolers have their own dedicated water circuit, completely separate from the conventional cooling system for the engine block and heads. All in all, the power of the SLR requires an ample cooling system for the engine as well as good cooling for its supercharged intake air. As a result, the car incorporates generous air inlets (and outlets) and a strong 850-watt suction type fan.High-IQ Engine Management
AMG engineers developed a smart engine management system that manages the operation of the supercharger based on engine speed and load. For example, when the car is coasting, the supercharger is not driven by the engine. However, as soon as the driver steps on the gas pedal, the system engages a special electro-magnetic clutch, and instantly the supercharger is spinning. Because the air is pressurized in a fraction of a second, even the most discerning driver doesn't notice the transition to supercharged power. At light throttle or part load, when pressurized air isn't needed but the supercharger is still spinning, an air recirculation flap opens, routing pressurized air back to the un-pressurized side of the intake air circuit. This reduces the force required to turn the supercharger rotors and improves fuel economy.A Bulletproof Bottom End
AMG engineers applied their extensive racing experience and expertise in designing high-performance engines to many details of the SLR powerplant. The entire engine block is cast aluminum, with cylinder walls made of NiCaSil. Each dynamically balanced crankshaft runs in five main bearings made of a durable long-life plastic. Forged connecting rods and pistons are sorted in carefully balanced sets for smooth high-speed operation, and dual oil-spray jets in the block help cool the back of each piston.Dry Sump Makes A Low-Profile Engine
Conventional engines use a single oil pump that pulls lubricating oil out of a reservoir (or sump) in the bottom of the block and supplies it to all the bearings throughout the engine. However, the SLR has an unusual dry-sump lubrication system, again based on experience gathered in the racing arena. The SLR system uses two oil pumps - a five-stage suction pump keeps the bottom of the engine block "dry" and a two-stage pressure pump to supply all the bearings. Between the two pumps is a ten-quart oil tank that serves as a reservoir. Dry-sump systems were originally developed for racing to prevent the engine-killing oil starvation that can occur with conventional wet-sump systems when oil sloshes to one side of the block during hard cornering, acceleration or braking. Dry sump systems also increase horsepower noticeably by reducing the usual drag created when a crankshaft churns in thick oil. Without the usual sump (or pan) hanging below the block, the dry-sump engine could be mounted lower in the SLR body. This important benefit of a dry-sump oil system means a lower center of gravity for better handling, not to mention a lower hood line for improved aerodynamics and high-speed stability.Twin-Plug, Three-Valve Architecture
The SLR engine makes use of innovative cylinder-head architecture that features two spark plugs and three valves for each cylinder. The three-valve layout allows the largest possible valve size that will still leave room for two spark plugs. Two intake valves feed the fuel-air mixture to each combustion chamber, and combustion heat in each of the large, single exhaust valves is dissipated through sodium filled valve stems. Each cylinder head houses a single, hollow camshaft driven by double roller chains and silent, rubber coated sprockets. Twin rocker shafts in each head hold low friction, roller tip aluminum rocker arms to actuate the valves, and housed in the end of each rocker arm is a small hydraulic lifter that ensures quiet, maintenance free valve operation.Two Spark Plugs for a Cleaner Burn
Using a single exhaust valve in each combustion chamber makes room for two spark plugs per cylinder. Mercedes' innovative alternating, twin plug ignition system matched to the new three valve technology actually improves performance. Among other things, the twin-spark system fires one plug after the other in quick succession and with varied "stagger," depending on engine load and speed. This shifting sequence (as well as the basic ignition timing) changes after each combustion cycle for extremely precise combustion control. This also enables close control of combustion chamber pressures to minimize noise without sacrificing efficiency. The twin-spark ignition allows an extremely lean air-fuel mixture and late ignition timing during warm up (retarded by 5 10 crank degrees compared to a single-plug design), to further increase exhaust gas volume and temperature.Modular Camshafts Reduce Weight
AMG engineers designed special high-tension valve springs and light-weight modular camshafts. To make the modular cams, AMG starts with a precision seamless welded tube. Individually forged cam lobes are placed onto the tube. When all cam lobes are lined up, an expansion lance is pressed into the tube. The lance expands the tube hydraulically at each lobe position, fusing the lobes to the shaft. This modular process simplifies the design and manufacture of camshafts.More Than Just Side Pipes
The SLR exhaust system features four catalytic converters - two on each side - and secondary air injection, which together ensure extremely low exhaust emissions. After the main converter housing, exhaust flows into a muffler located just behind each front wheel. The mufflers (each over five gallons in volume) are designed for low exhaust back pressure and consist of precisely calculated acoustic sections that produce the characteristic SLR engine sound. The exhaust exits via a pair of 2½-inch stainless-steel pipes on each side of the car. Another reminder of the 1950s racer, the side pipes allow the underside of the car to be entirely smooth, which plays a crucially important role in the car's excellent aerodynamics and high-speed stability.One Man, One Engine
Like all AMG engines, the SLR powerplant is assembled by hand in Affalterbach, Germany; it's then shipped to Woking, England for installation into the car. Each complete motor is the responsibility of one AMG engineer, who handles everything from bolting the crankshaft into the block to assembling the camshafts and installing the electrical wiring harness. Mercedes-AMG feels that the principle of "one man, one engine" is key to ensuring top-quality high-performance engines. Symbolic of this unusual commitment, every engine comes with a plaque mounted on the intake manifold that's signed by the engineer who assembled it.Dual Fuel Tanks
The SLR engine draws its fuel from two low-slung, inter-connected fuel tanks - a layout that also contributes to the car's low center of gravity. The dual tanks are located on each side of the rear suspension and have a total volume of 25.8 gallons. The tanks are equipped with two high-pressure electric fuel pumps that are controlled by the engine management system. To ensure that the fuel supply matches the needs of the engine, one pump runs all the time, while the second is activated only as needed, based on engine load and speed.SLR TRANSMISSION
The Mercedes-Benz five-speed automatic transmission and rear final-drive unit, already used successfully in several high-performance models, have been further modified to handle the high torque of the SLR engine. In addition to beefing up the gear housings and torque converter, gears in the center and rear planetary sets have been widened by five millimeters (about 0.2 inches), and the front planetary gears are two millimeters wider. While the wider gear teeth are stronger, this also makes room for larger bearings. What's more, the hydraulic clutches that drive and lock the planetary sets in each gear range operate at higher pressures. The transmission oil cooler is larger than on other Mercedes-Benz high-performance models, and a separate oil cooler just for the rear differential/final drive unit is mounted under the trunk floor. Air flows through this cooler from a triangular NACA duct in the otherwise flat underside of the car and exits through a grill between the back-up lights.A New Level of SpeedShift
The Mercedes-AMG Speedshift system offers even more features in the new SLR. A knob on the left side of the center console offers a choice of three settings: "Comfort," "Sport" or "Manual," and each setting is identified in the instrument cluster display by the letter "C," "S" or "M." While the two automatic shift programs are similar, "Sport" provides higher-rpm shift points and crisper shifts. In the "Manual" setting, the driver can shift either with buttons on the steering wheel or by using the side-to-side Touchshift feature on the shift lever. Within the "Manual" setting, another knob on the right side of the console can select any one of three modes of progressively sportier shifting:- Stage I - "Sport"
- Stage II - "SuperSport"
- Stage III - "Race"
SLR SUSPENSION
The SLR suspension features double forged-aluminum wishbones at all four corners. Its suspension design bears the signature of experienced race car developers and has been designed for excellence in three key areas: handling agility, active safety and comfort.Negative Camber is Positive
Light unsprung weight is a distinct advantage, and in the case of the SLR, its aluminum suspension, stub axles and wheels as well as the super-lightweight ceramic brake discs all work together for extremely fast and sensitive handling response. Its relatively long wheelbase (106.3 inches), wide track (64.5 inches) and low center of gravity also contribute to the car's exemplary handling, especially when cornering at speed. As the suspension compresses when cornering at high speed, the SLR wishbone geometry provides the wheels with slight negative camber for the best possible tread contact. At the same time, the rear suspension is designed with anti-squat characteristics on acceleration, and the front suspension layout minimizes dive during hard braking.Formula 1 Stabilizer Bar
The front stabilizer bar is above the front suspension and is connected to the suspension by rocker-arm linkage - as in Formula 1 race cars. This layout means that the stabilizer bar does not break up the car's smooth underbody, which is vitally important for its outstanding aerodynamics and high-speed stability.SLR STEERING
Fast-ratio rack-and-pinion steering with speed-sensitive power assist makes for precise, lightening-quick reflexes. Located in front of the engine, the lightweight steering gear unit has a ratio of 12.6, which gives drivers the impression that the car goes wherever the 15-inch steering wheel is pointed! The wheel is electrically adjustable for reach (2 ½ inches) and tilt (2.7 degrees).SLR BRAKES
The high-performance SLR is one of very few production cars to make use of ceramic brake technology, a result of DaimlerChrysler materials research and Mercedes-AMG experience with high-tech brakes on the street and track.Carbon-Fiber Ceramic Brake Discs
The brake discs on the SLR are made of a new composite material - a fiber-reinforced ceramic that boasts astounding stopping power, high heat resistance, outstanding structural strength and long service life. Carbon fiber, powdered carbon and resin are pressed into shape at high pressure during manufacturing and baked with a silicon compound at around 2700° Farenheit to form the ceramic. The benefits of ceramic brake discs are impressive:An Air Brake Helps Slow Things Down
An adaptive rear spoiler built into the trunk lid adds to the outstanding braking of the SLR. If the driver hits the brake pedal hard enough, the spoiler automatically flips up at a 65-degree angle, producing more than 300 pounds of extra downforce to make the brakes even more effective. At about 60 mph, the spoiler automatically rises to 10 degrees, and the driver can control the airbrake via a switch on the console up to an angle of 30 degrees.SLR WHEELS AND TIRES
On U.S. models, "staggered" 19-inch turbine-style alloy wheels and tires are standard equipment, while 18-inch wheels are a no-cost/no-credit option for customers who prefer a different look (a choice of two styles -- five-spoke and ten-spoke) or a taller tire sidewall:
The first two dimensions -- tire width and sidewall height - are listed in millimeters, while the remaining dimensions are shown in inches. This industry convention includes expressing sidewall height as a percentage of the width. For example, the standard front tire is 255 mm wide (around 10 inches), and its sidewall height is 35 percent of that -- about 3 ½ inches.
