Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss breaks cover

A totally new outstanding vehicle is being added by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren to top the model family of their superbly successful SLR super sports vehicle.

The vehicle does not have both roof and windshield to cover the passengers from the elements; they take pleasure in pure high-speed thrill with all the speedster characteristics. The latest SLR Stirling Moss is also set apart by the most refined technology and incredible design which brings the SLR legend to new light. With a potency of 478 kW/650 hp the SLR Stirling Moss sprints its V8 supercharged unit from 0 to 100 km/h in under 3.5 seconds, and has a maximum speed of 350 km/h which no other production series vehicle can parallel.

This excessive concept makes the new high-performance sports vehicle a true bearer of the designation of the British motor racing icon and Mille Miglia record-holder Stirling Moss, who sat behind the wheel of the iconic Mercedes-Benz SLR racing vehicles from one triumph to the next back in 1955. The limited SLR Stirling Moss completes the present SLR range and is restricted to 75 units only. It has a sticker price of €750,000 or $1,044,000. As intended beforehand, the SLR Roadster will stop production by the end of May next year, and the manufacture of the SLR Stirling Moss will begin in June next year. Details and photos after the jump!

The letters SLR is sufficient to get the car enthusiasts adrenaline pumping. In the ’50s the Mercedes-Benz SLR 300 garnered one win after another. It garnered the Mille Miglia, the Eifel race, the Targa Florio including the Tourist Trophy. It was driven, first and foremost, by the British racing driver Stirling Moss and by celebrities of the time, such as Juan Manuel Fangio and Karl Kling. Stirling Moss is still holding the record of Mille Miglia at ten hours, seven minutes and 48 seconds. This is the reason why the contemporary variant of the celebrated SLR carries with it the extra words “Stirling Moss.” As the latest SLR Stirling Moss merges the traits of the present SLR versions with the charm of the SLR of ‘55. The main values of both the historical and the present-day SLR versions incorporate a thrilling new design, ground-breaking technology, high-quality materials demonstrating perfect engineering, and, above all a driving experience that tickles the total human senses.

Faithful to the specifications of the 300 SLR, the current Silver Arrow’s gear is totally refined and but decidedly puristic at the same time, making do with the absence of a roof and all side windscreens. Only two windshields of a few centimeters in height are present to keep the driver and passenger shielded from the oncoming airflow. Two air vents built into the bodywork act as roll bars. With this excessive model the latest SLR Stirling Moss is appealingly quite different from all the other vehicles which go with the selected sports vehicle segment. Just like the well-known racing vehicles of the past, the SLR Stirling Moss astonishes with its excellent performance. Sprinting from standstill to 100 km/h in under 3.5 seconds and with a maximum speed of 350 km/h this puristic high-performance sports vehicle signifies totally fresh dimensions in top down mobility. And besides the impressive performance numbers; each time the driver gets behind the wheel of a SLR Stirling Moss their senses are dealt with an unprecedented intensity, transmitting a driving pleasure at its highest and purest form. This automotive pure-bred therefore generates the kind of open-air sensation that is absolutely exclusive for a road-going car.

The entire bodywork of the SLR Stirling Moss is made of lightweight carbon fiber, which symbolizes a stand-alone design model. While the Mercedes-Benz creators were laboring on the surface design of the latest SLR Stirling Moss, they were totally conscious of every single instant that they were making a car that can run with a top speed of 350 km/h. Simultaneously this ultimate competitor is extremely evocative of the SLR racing vehicles from the ’50s, whose design expression is still impressive to this day. The SLR Stirling Moss comes with an exciting, marked arrow-shaped form and is distinguished by a lengthened hood and a compact, beefy rear. Since a windscreen is absent, the outside and inside flow seamlessly into one. The engine lid also stretches from its striking tip right down into the interior, giving the vehicle body a totally aerodynamic air. Even when the vehicle is not moving it radiates such a vibrancy that spellbinds any observer.

More attractive elements consist of two air vents at the back of the driver and passenger. They bring additional roll bars, also combining the typical and the contemporary. The wings are potently curved. Ventilation “gills” painted in black finish located facet-like on the sides and on the hood also mark the legend. Exciting interchanges of light and shadow proceed from the expressive lines underlining the vibrant total impression. Precisely as they were on the brilliant historical copy, the side skirts on the new SLR Stirling Moss are also quite high. This encouraged the designers’ decision in favor of folding swing-wing doors which open toward the front. The car can be closed by two tonneau covers which are kept in the trunk. A resemblance of a sculptor emerges when both tonneau covers and the doors are closed.

To maintain the puristic external design of the car, the interior is also cut to only what is necessary. Surfaces going through each other in the instrument console and doors provide an exciting ambiance and echoes perfectionism. A combination of high-grade genuine materials such as aluminum, carbon fiber, and excellent leather orders the style here. An engraved Stirling Moss signature is carried in an aluminum plate and covers the section surrounding the gear shifter. Designers laboring on the Stirling Moss were able to lean on a wealth of experience accumulated when making the SLR Coupé and Roadster, specifically where the technical foundation was concerned, with its overgenerous carbon-fiber design, high-performance suspension and a V8 engine that generates a powerful roar. The commonality joining the Stirling Moss with the other members of the SLR series is the sleek concept with a closed underbody and a diffuser in the back bumper for optimum possible downforce at the rear axle with only one difference: the diffuser here is significantly bigger in contrast to that on the coupé and roadster.

Because of the high-precision effort brought about in the wind tunnel, the SLR Stirling Moss without fail produces enough downforce for totally safe handling. However, the airbrake can be manually operated by the driver for the purpose of increasing the contact pressure more, especially during athletic driving, for instance. The Airbrake is also raised in instances where vehicle speed is in excess of 120 km/h and where potent breaking is required to stabilize the vehicle even more in such conditions, therefore facilitating deceleration to the possible maximum.

The fresh SLR Stirling Moss is a high-caliber sports vehicle longed after by enthusiasts. Also it marks the height of an era and, for the predictable future, at least, the final hour for the SLR. Production of the SLR will stop in May next year with a total of 75 Stirling Moss SLRs will be produced between June and December 2009, with chassis serial from 1 to 75. Not only does this unique vehicle symbolize the final end of the present SLR family; it also acts as a totally special “thank you” to the most faithful SLR customers, for they are the only ones able own a Stirling Moss.