My garage features a number of cars from both Mercedes and McLaren, so perhaps the SLR is one to consider in future?! Visiting the Ikonick Collection in Miami, taking an original, SLR Coupe for a drive, let's see what it's all about and discuss if it could join the Shmeemobiles.
The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren was a collaboration project between the two companies that launched in 2003, up against the Porsche Carrera GT and Ferrari Enzo. At the time, Mercedes held a 40% ownership stake in the McLaren F1 team and in fact the various iterations of the SLR cars were all assembled by McLaren in Working, England, where the new look McLaren Automotive are based.
In total there were 2,176 SLRs built, starting with the original SLR Coupe, through the 722, SLR Roadster, 722 S (150 units) and Stirling Moss (75 units). The original SLR as seen here at Ikonick is powered by the 5.4l supercharged V8 making 626hp and 780Nm, all going to the rear wheels via a 5spd automatic gearbox - the Achilles heel of the car.
There is no denying that for a car approaching 20 years old, the SLR still looks absolutely fantastic, a truly iconic design with the fabulously long bonnet and seating position back to the rear axle. However, from my own garage, the brands from whom I've owned the most cars to date are Mercedes and McLaren, so why not consider the resulting collaboration between the two?
A huge thanks to Barry and the team at Ikonick for my drive in the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, be sure to follow them for more!
