Mercedes SLR McLaren Roadster

The very stylish Mercedes SLR McLaren Roadster hit the 'Car Catwalk' recently and was an instant 'head turner'. With its sleek lines and semi gull-wing doors, it had car enthusiasts salivating with a desire to take it for a burn on the German autobahn. This is the fastest automatic car in the world and one which Mercedes can be truly proud of.

My brother - the car connoisseur - actually had a part in its creation. I asked him some in depth questions about his work with McLaren....

Me: "So Pete... what was your role in the development of the SLR Roadster?"

Pete: "Design, development and supply of the body sealing system. That means the rubber bits around the doors and the roof. This was a bit more complicated than usual due the hinge position of the doors on the upper A-Pillar; and the fact that the door design is mainly carried over from the coupe and was never originally designed to be a convertible. Because the planned production volumes are low - maybe 800 cars depending on customer demand - the parts are produced more or less by hand in Metzeler's prototype workshop."

Me: "Did you have any say in the design of the car?"

Pete: "As a system partner we try to influence the body design to allow the best sealing performance, that means a lot of simultaneous engineering, and required a lot of visits to McLaren's Engineering centre in Woking (just outside London) to coordinate with the Engineering people there. This is also where the Formula 1 team is based and where the F1 cars are built and engineered. You can take a look at www.mclarenautomotive.com and follow the link to Mclaren Technonogy Centre which in itself is an amazing place."

Me: "How long were you working on the car?"

Pete: "I started on the project in Feb/March 2006 and the first production cars were built at the beginning of June 2008. We supplied prototype parts at various stages for development cars, and I was at the Daimler test facility in Laredo Texas twice to support testing and development."

Me: "So do you reckon I could afford one??"

Pete: "In Europe the base price is around 495,000€ - there is a long list of extras and customers can personalise their cars as well.. I don't think there are any plans to sell them in Australia officially and I really don't think you could afford one."

Me: "Fine then.. Guess I'll have to stick to my Rav 4. Thanks little brother.."

Pete in Germany with his 'baby'...

Specifications:
ENGINE 5439cc, eight cylinders
POWER 617bhp @ 6500rpm
TORQUE 575lb ft @ 3250rpm
TRANSMISSION Five-speed auto
FUEL 14.5mpg (combined) CO2 348g/km
ACCELERATION 0-62mph: 3.8sec
TOP SPEED 207mph