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

Some Eye Candy for the Car Lover...

The distinctive Bugatti (Bugatti Veyron FBG par Hermes I believe) at the International Geneva Motor Show (Salon International de l'Auto) earlier this year.

photos: P. Olney

Car makers love displaying their wares at this show because it is considered to be the most level playing field. Switzerland does not have its own auto industry, and so it is felt that in Geneva there is less chance of bias towards any particular manufacturer.

The History..

This extract from Wikipedia sums up the Bugatti company in a nutshell..

..."Bugatti was founded in Molsheim, France as a manufacturer of high performance automobiles by Ettore Bugatti, an Italian man described as an eccentric genius.
The original company is legendary for producing some of the most exclusive cars in the world as well as some of the fastest. The original Bugatti brand failed with the coming of World War II, like many high-end marques of the time. The death of Ettore's son Jean was also a contributory factor. The company struggled financially into the 1960s eventually being purchased for its airplane parts business. Today the name is owned by Volkswagen AG who have revived it as a builder of very limited production sports cars."...

I asked my brother about the Bugatti and he said ..."its very fast (400 kmh)... its very expensive (if you have to ask how much then you can't afford it)"... Check out the Bugatti web site - that's a fantastic experience in itself!

What Types of Cars Can You Novate?

A broad range of cars can be novated.

You can novate a new car - either sourced by you or by the novation company.

You can novate a used car. The used car can be purchased:
- through a LMCT (Licenced Motor Car Trader) dealership;
- from a private seller; or
- from yourself! (your own car) *conditions apply

Yes, you can ask the novation company to organise the purchase of your own car by the financial institution, and then arrange to have the vehicle leased back to you through a novated lease. This was a particularly popular method of novation when interest rates went up and people wanted to move the lump sum they had invested in their car on to their home mortgage.

*The amount paid for your car will be determined by an evaluation obtained by the finance company and the novation company.

Imagine Novating This!!!

My brother lives in Germany and works for a company called Metzeler. They make rubber moldings for all sorts of exotic cars and needless to say he is a 'car connoisseur'. (he likes cars!!!)

He took these photos at a recent car show in Geneva. I - not knowing much about cars - have no idea what it is, but I like it! Imagine novating this! I guess it would take some time to pay off...