Automobiles Review

Tag: McLaren

  • Wheelsandmore Mercedes-Benz SLR

    Wheelsandmore has introduced its latest development, a stunning conversion for the high-end Mercedes-Benz SLR and SLR McLaren 722 Edition. (more…)

  • McLaren MP4-12C priced for Europe

    McLaren priced the perfect road machine MP4-12C from £168 500 (including 20% VAT) when it goes on sale in the UK in 2011.

    The car is just £1045 cheaper than Ferrari 458 Italia. Probably, this is the main reason why McLaren MP4-12C has already received over 2 700 pre-orders.

    MP4-12C is powered by features a twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8 engine 608PS (447 kW) and 599Nm (442 lb-ft) of torque. It is mated to a 7-speed “Seamless Shift” double-clutch transmission (more…)

  • Zonda Concept – A combination between R, F1 and Enzo

    Pagani Zonda – one of the greatest super cars, ever. A new model from the famous company is on its way – Zonda Concept , which is a combination between R model, McLaren F1 and Ferrari Enzo. The car is stil a creation of the designer Gary Gu.

    Again the car will be powered by AMG engine boosted to several million horsepower and again it will be made entirely from carbon fiber. The performance will be at decent level, which is something usual for Zonda cars. (more…)

  • McLaren MP4-12C at Goodwood Festival of Speed

    McLaren MP4-12C is may be the most eagerly expected car in the world. It will be presented for the first time to a public audience at Goodwood Festival of Speed. The event takes place from Thursday 1- Sunday 4 July 2010.

    Current Formula 1 World Champion – Jenson Button and 2008 Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton will drive the MP4-12C up Goodwood Hill on Saturday and Sunday respectively in the Supercar Run.

    The prototype was tested at Goodwood Motor Circuit in March this year. The VP9 Validation Prototype car, which will be driven by Jenson and Lewis is finished in traditional McLaren Orange. (more…)

  • McLaren F1 reunion

    McLaren F1 is a true legend. Still, after 20 years there is no faster normally aspirated production road car in the world. F1 GTR is the only car, which won Formula 1 World Championship, Indianapolis 500 and Le Mans 24 Hours. Furthermore, this was the first production road car to use a full carbon fibre monocoque.

    The first McLaren F1 car was launched on 28th May 1992 and delivered to its happy owner in December 1993.

    McLaren is a pioneer in carbon fiber technologies. They used carbon fibre chassis in 1981 for the first time. Nine years later, the carbon monocoque for the McLaren F1 was created and it weighs only 100kg and still has the highest levels of strength and safety. (more…)

  • Inside McLaren: developing the MP4-12C

    McLaren Automotive presents the first in a series of broadcast-quality short videos, which reveals the performance car testing programme for the new McLaren MP4-12C. (more…)

  • Mercedes-Benz will end McLaren collaboration

    Mercedes-Benz will end its partnership with British sports car manufacturer McLaren when its current agreement expires next year.

    The German automaker and the British sports car manufacturer built the SLR premium roadster together. (more…)

  • Lagonda V12 Prototype gets the gold at Double Twelve

    The inaugural Brooklands Motoring Festival: The Double Twelve, which took place over 28/29 June, was a resounding success with almost 15,000 visitors attending over the weekend. (more…)

  • Vodafone Mclaren Mercedes Formula 1 car to appear at brooklands motoring festival

    Formula 1™ stars Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen are to drive the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1™ car at this year’s Brooklands Motoring Festival: The Double Twelve over 28/29 June.

    The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team drivers will make a number of appearances in the car during the weekend as they take to the handling circuits at Mercedes-Benz World in Weybridge, Surrey and thrill the crowds. (more…)

  • Mercedes-Benz Accessories GmbH presents the 2008 Motorsports Collection

    The new 2008 Mercedes-Benz Motorsports Collection is the perfect outfit for a sporty appearance at the trackside. The Collection is now available from authorised Mercedes-Benz dealers in the product categories of Formula One, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, SLR, DTM, AMG and Accessories. (more…)

  • Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster

    Mercedes-Benz SLR Mclaren RoadsterMercedes-Benz will in future also market its SLR McLaren super sports car in the form of a roadster with a top. In common with Formula 1 vehicles of today, it, too, will be made of carbon fibre, a material that will endow the vehicle with a very high degree of safety as well as extreme torsional stiffness at the same high level as the coupé version.

    This gives rise, in combination with the racing-type chassis, to outstanding ride characteristics. The maximum speed of the new high-performance sports car, which is powered by an AMG V8 compressor engine delivering 460 kW/626 hp, is 332 km/h, therefore at the same high level as the coupe. Although, thanks to its fully retractable top, the Roadster offers undiluted open-air driving pleasure in the highest performance class, its occupants in no way lose out in terms of comfort or the vehicle’s suitability for everyday use. Consequently, the new Roadster opens up a new dimension in refinement for open-top super sports cars.

    Like the coupe version, the new Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster once again unites the legend of the successful SLR racing models from the 1950s with the innovative technology of modern Formula 1 vehicles from the Vodafone-McLaren-Mercedes team. Typical stylistic elements, such as the arrow-shaped tip of the Formula 1 Silver Arrow, establish a visual link with the racing cars. The SLR leg-end of the 50s lives on stylistically in the distinctive lateral louvers, side pipes behind the front wheels and the wide-opening gullwing doors.

    Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster
    Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster
    Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster
    Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster
    Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster
    Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster
    Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster
    Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster

    The new Roadster benefits technically from the many years of experience of Mercedes-Benz and its Formula 1 partner McLaren. Apart from two aluminium engine frames, its body is made entirely of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) materials, making the vehicle an exception among high-performance sports cars. Especially for the Roadster, complex carbon-fibre technology has been intelligently further developed for the monocoque chassis. The result is low weight, exemplary energy absorption and, therefore, extremely high occupant safety as well as a degree of torsional stiffness hitherto unattained in open-top vehicles. This leads to outstanding ride characteristics of the kind otherwise found only in closed-top super sports cars.

    The puristic top is suitable for high speeds

    The exceptional qualities of the Roadster are attributable also to the fully retractable top, which blends harmoniously into the flowing lines of the SLR McLaren. Its newly developed roof material, which is available in three different colours, not only guarantees complete suitability for everyday use in all weathers, but also endows the high-performance sports car with characteristics that are exception-ally unusual in a roadster. For example, at 332 km/h, the maximum speed is at the high level of the coupé version. Conversation is still possible at well over 200 km/h on open-air journeys thanks to the favourable aeroacoustics.

    The roof opens and closes semi-automatically in less than ten seconds, thereby combining the desire for convenience with the puristic character of the roadster. To open, the roof merely needs to be unlocked from the windscreen frame and be briefly raised, after which it folds away electrically. Since an aluminium cover is integrated into its front section, the roof elegantly closes off the top when re-tracted.

    Sophisticated aerodynamics and racing-type chassis

    In the wind tunnel, the Roadster has been optimised for high speeds with regard to handling, aeroacoustics and aerodynamics. It likewise employs the aerodynamic concept already known from the coupé version, featuring an airbrake integrated into the access lid and a diffusor in the rear bumper to provide increased downforce on the rear axle.

    The open two-seater is equipped with a racing-type chassis featuring high-performance carbon-ceramic brake discs, thereby setting extremely high stan-dards. Its front-mid-engine provides for optimum weight distribution. With 460 kW/626 hp and a maximum torque of 780 Nm, the AMG V8 compressor engine, which is coupled to an AMG Speedshift R five-speed automatic transmission, accelerates the Roadster from zero to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds.

    Unique safety and exclusive fittings

    A high degree of safety is ensured by unique carbon-fibre crash elements, steel-reinforced A-pillars and two fixed roll-over bars. The comprehensive specification also features adaptive airbags, knee and side airbags as well as seat belt tensioners and a tyre-pressure monitoring system.

    The exclusive standard equipment includes semi-aniline-leather-upholstered carbon-fibre bucket seats which can be individually adapted to the driver and front passenger by means of differently sized seat pads; dual-zone automatic air-conditioning; a high-quality BOSE premium sound system; a multifunction sport steering wheel with gear-change paddles, and a navigation system with integral radio and CD player.

    The new Mercedes-Benz SLR Roadster, like the coupé, is produced at McLaren’s Formula 1 factory in Woking, England, in accordance with stringent Mercedes-Benz quality criteria and will be available as from September 2007.