STUTTGART, Germany — Mercedes-Benz plans to unveil the SLR Speedster — the last version of its iconic high-performance two-seater — in January at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, Inside Line has learned.
A video of the SLR Speedster has been circulating on YouTube. Although it appears to be an amateur production, Inside Line has confirmed that the video was placed anonymously by Mercedes. The one-minute, 0.8-second-long video features a heavily camouflaged prototype version of the McLaren-built two-seater undergoing supposed testing at the hands of Mercedes-Benz development engineers and was shot by a Mercedes production team at the Chobham test track southwest of London.
In an attempt to provide it with an amateur look, the video carries short and sometimes blurred scenes of the car in motion and being loaded onto a trailer, much of it apparently filmed from a position within the test track's surrounding forest.
Although the car's official launch is slated for the Detroit show, Mercedes reportedly has no plans to sell it in North America. Only 75 units are planned, most of which are likely to wind up in the Middle East, where the Speedster will be priced from around $1,125,000.
Said to be inspired by the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut driven by Fangio and Moss, the Speedster could represent the last production link between Mercedes and McLaren.
Emissions concerns are said to be behind the decision not to offer the SLR Speedster in the U.S., although potential customers will be free to pursue personal imports, according to sources at Mercedes' Stuttgart headquarters.
The SLR Speedster goes without a traditional windscreen or roof structure. Rollover protection is provided by two sturdy rollover hoops situated behind the two-seat cabin, and there's no provision for a cloth hood.
With no roof, the Speedster weighs 440 pounds less than the SLR 722. It is powered by the same 641-horsepower supercharged 5.4-liter V8. Mercedes insiders say the Speedster will top 218 mph and will rocket from zero to 186 mph in 26 seconds.
What this means to you: Unless you have a close friend in Dubai, your only glimpse of the SLR Speedster may be on the auto show circuit. — Andreas Stahl, Correspondent
A video of the SLR Speedster has been circulating on YouTube. Although it appears to be an amateur production, Inside Line has confirmed that the video was placed anonymously by Mercedes. The one-minute, 0.8-second-long video features a heavily camouflaged prototype version of the McLaren-built two-seater undergoing supposed testing at the hands of Mercedes-Benz development engineers and was shot by a Mercedes production team at the Chobham test track southwest of London.
In an attempt to provide it with an amateur look, the video carries short and sometimes blurred scenes of the car in motion and being loaded onto a trailer, much of it apparently filmed from a position within the test track's surrounding forest.
Although the car's official launch is slated for the Detroit show, Mercedes reportedly has no plans to sell it in North America. Only 75 units are planned, most of which are likely to wind up in the Middle East, where the Speedster will be priced from around $1,125,000.
Said to be inspired by the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut driven by Fangio and Moss, the Speedster could represent the last production link between Mercedes and McLaren.
Emissions concerns are said to be behind the decision not to offer the SLR Speedster in the U.S., although potential customers will be free to pursue personal imports, according to sources at Mercedes' Stuttgart headquarters.
The SLR Speedster goes without a traditional windscreen or roof structure. Rollover protection is provided by two sturdy rollover hoops situated behind the two-seat cabin, and there's no provision for a cloth hood.
With no roof, the Speedster weighs 440 pounds less than the SLR 722. It is powered by the same 641-horsepower supercharged 5.4-liter V8. Mercedes insiders say the Speedster will top 218 mph and will rocket from zero to 186 mph in 26 seconds.
What this means to you: Unless you have a close friend in Dubai, your only glimpse of the SLR Speedster may be on the auto show circuit. — Andreas Stahl, Correspondent
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