Hammer falls on last-ever SLR

The SLR Roadster is saying goodbye in style! Mercedes is marking the end of the production run for its 200mph drop-top by auctioning off
this special model.

The last-ever roadster comes in a one-off combination of Sienna Pearl metallic paint and signature Tobacco Brown leather interior. Elsewhere, the carbon fibre bodywork hides a 617bhp supercharged V8 that gives a 206mph top speed.

But this isn’t simply another money-making venture from Mercedes – it’s all about raising cash for charity. The special SLR will be sold on 20 November at an auction organised by prestigious New York department store Saks Fifth Avenue. The opening bid is 9,500 (£323,000) –
that’s more than 0,000 (£110,000) off the list price! Any money raised above the starting price will be donated to a children’s hospital.

Meanwhile, Mercedes’ partner on the SLR project, McLaren, has split from the German manufacturer and is getting ready to usher in a new wave of supercars.

We brought you news and exclusive pictures of the P11 – the Surrey company’s successor to its legendary F1 hypercar – in Issue 1,035.

However, this is just one of three all-new models that McLaren could produce over the next few years, Auto Express has learned.

First up is a direct rival for the Porsche 911, with an ‘affordable’ price tag target of £60,000. That would be an amazing achievement, especially when you consider that the McLaren F1 weighed in at around £600,000 when it went on sale in 1994.

The third member of the McLaren family looks likely to be a GT model with a front-engined layout. Designed to take on Ferrari’s California, this would be priced somewhere between the £200,000 P11 and £60,000 Porsche rival.