Official

IF you thought the standard SLR was sensational, take a look at this! Called the SLR Stirling Moss, it's been built to pay homage to one of Mercedes’ most successful racing drivers of all time.

Mercedes has pulled out all the stops to make sure this is the firm’s wildest road car ever.  There’s no roof or windscreen, while under the stretched bonnet lies the same 641bhp supercharged V8 from the outgoing SLR and SLR Roadster.

The newcomer is also designed to evoke memories of this historic era of racing, with its retro styling and two-seater speedster layout.

Two air scoops, moulded into the bodywork above the headrests, double up as roll hoops in the event of a crash, while a central bar splits the cabin into two distinct cockpits.

The bodywork is crafted from lightweight carbon fibre and is entirely redesigned from the ‘standard’ SLR. Enormous side vents and the swooping nose give a bullet-like profile, while the SLR’s trademark side-exit quad exhausts give the driver and passenger front row seats to the throaty V8 soundtrack.

The interior is sparse and functional, in keeping with the speedster’s racing car roots, and each model is fitted with a metal plate around the automatic shift lever engraved with Moss’s signature.

But while the looks are retro, the performance is cutting-edge. Using the same 5.4-litre V8 from the SLR, it’s capable of hitting 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds, with
a top speed of 217mph.

To boost the aerodynamics, there’s a flat underbody and large rear diffuser – both for maximum downforce at the rear axle. There’s also a self-raising airbrake positioned on the boot lip, which adds extra stopping power under heavy braking.

Only 75 cars will be made between June and December 2009, starting as soon as the final SLR roadster has roared off the production line. Costing a phenomenal £591,000 each, the exclusive SLR Stirling Moss will only be made available to hand-picked clients who have shown loyalty to the SLR brand.