No roof. No windows. No windscreen. No ownership possibility if you don’t own an SLR yet either. Powered by a 478kW, supercharged V8, the Stirling Moss SLR is simply epic.Mercedes-Benz is set to end its partnership with McLaren on a nostalgic note with a Stirling Moss commemorative SLR speedster.
The Anglo-German supercar partnership is due to end - allegedly amicably – in 2009; thereafter all high-performance Mercedes-Benz products will be designed and produced in-house, by AMG.
To do justice to the great man – or have a great excuse for an overpriced, limited-edition model – 75 SLR Stirling Moss models will be built. Styling is refreshingly minimalist – there’s no front windscreen – and utterly perfect in detail and proportion; it’s a far busier design than the brutish SLR, yet seems purer.
The front is in classic speedster style, with narrower, stacked light clusters, and a bonnet with large vents and styling creases. Along the flanks are nearly crevice like panel creases, aesthetically anchored by dual outlet exhausts – we suspect they passed EU roadworthy regulation simply due to the Stirling Moss edition being such a low volume vehicle.
Beyond the traditional long-nose speedster side-profile, the aft deck area sports two fins running from the back of seat headrests; these ‘humps’ are classic 300 SLR, and house the individual roll hoops for both driver and passenger.
For once a mainstream manufacturer has built a limited edition supercar which is truly hardcore, and should provide an ownership experience of utter frustration to image-addled supercar buyers. Purists will be thrilled no end at it’s untainted execution, and obvious heritage.
It’s a worthy successor to the legend of Stirling Moss and his daring racing exploits. We could say the signature engraved shifter-top is tacky; but Moss, the greatest driver never to win an F1 driver’s title is a man who transcends such trivialities.
If you have a spare $1 000 000 around, and don’t have a Mercedes SLR already, you needend bother; Merc is only selling the 75 unit production to existing SLR customers - outside of the US only, strangely enough. Assembly will begin in June 2009, after the last SLR roadsters roll-off the production line in May.
Oddly, for such a pure performance car, the SLR Stirling Moss is being unveiled at the grittiest motor show of all - Detroit in January next year…
The Anglo-German supercar partnership is due to end - allegedly amicably – in 2009; thereafter all high-performance Mercedes-Benz products will be designed and produced in-house, by AMG.
To do justice to the great man – or have a great excuse for an overpriced, limited-edition model – 75 SLR Stirling Moss models will be built. Styling is refreshingly minimalist – there’s no front windscreen – and utterly perfect in detail and proportion; it’s a far busier design than the brutish SLR, yet seems purer.
The front is in classic speedster style, with narrower, stacked light clusters, and a bonnet with large vents and styling creases. Along the flanks are nearly crevice like panel creases, aesthetically anchored by dual outlet exhausts – we suspect they passed EU roadworthy regulation simply due to the Stirling Moss edition being such a low volume vehicle.
Beyond the traditional long-nose speedster side-profile, the aft deck area sports two fins running from the back of seat headrests; these ‘humps’ are classic 300 SLR, and house the individual roll hoops for both driver and passenger.
For once a mainstream manufacturer has built a limited edition supercar which is truly hardcore, and should provide an ownership experience of utter frustration to image-addled supercar buyers. Purists will be thrilled no end at it’s untainted execution, and obvious heritage.
It’s a worthy successor to the legend of Stirling Moss and his daring racing exploits. We could say the signature engraved shifter-top is tacky; but Moss, the greatest driver never to win an F1 driver’s title is a man who transcends such trivialities.
If you have a spare $1 000 000 around, and don’t have a Mercedes SLR already, you needend bother; Merc is only selling the 75 unit production to existing SLR customers - outside of the US only, strangely enough. Assembly will begin in June 2009, after the last SLR roadsters roll-off the production line in May.
Oddly, for such a pure performance car, the SLR Stirling Moss is being unveiled at the grittiest motor show of all - Detroit in January next year…
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