Chassis No. WDDAK76F38M001561

McLaren Edition No. 013

In 1955, the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé showed what a Mercedes-Benz racing car could become on the road. Nearly half a century later, the SLR McLaren brought back its sweeping hood, compact tail, and motorsport-bred aerodynamic detailing. The new car paired Mercedes-Benz refinement with McLaren's Formula 1 engineering. It was also the first road car assembled at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking.

The SLR reached customers in 2004 as a modern grand tourer. Power came from a hand-built, supercharged 5,439-cc V8 by Mercedes-AMG producing 626 PS. The brochure quoted zero to 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds, with a top speed in excess of 330 km/h. A lightweight carbon fiber monocoque gave the car both strength and agility. Butterfly doors, side-exit exhausts, and an active airbrake set it apart from anything else in the range.

The Roadster arrived in 2007, its soft top folding electrically in about ten seconds. Special editions followed, including 300 examples of the 722, split evenly between 150 coupés and 150 Roadsters. Another 75 examples of the open Stirling Moss speedster followed before the end of 2009.

While the Stirling Moss marked the end of production, it didn't end the SLR's story. McLaren's involvement continued through McLaren Special Operations (MSO), its bespoke division for custom commissions and owner-focused upgrades, which produced the rarest street-legal variant of all: the McLaren Edition. It offered SLR owners the chance to send their cars back to the factory for a bespoke package. Any SLR except the Stirling Moss was eligible, and the personalization cost £150,000. Each car was finished to its owner's own specification, so no two are alike. Launched in 2010, the program was limited to just 25 cars.

Lightweight carbon fiber bumpers, a carbon-Kevlar front floor diffuser, and a larger carbon rear diffuser reworked the airflow, and MSO quoted a 15 percent gain in downforce over the 722 Edition. Front brake cooling is markedly improved, and a larger trunk-lid spoiler and fine-tuned airbrake make the most of the added grip. Vents atop the front wheel arches echo the racing SLR 722 GT. As on the race car, new ducting relieves air pressure inside the arches at speed. Carbon fiber side panels shaped after McLaren's Speedmark logo replace the original cast aluminum blades, while larger lacquered carbon fiber vents ahead of the windshield lower under-hood temperatures. All of it was developed in McLaren's in-house wind tunnel.

Underneath, new suspension hardware and geometry developed on a Formula 1 four-post rig set the car 10 mm lower. Reworked steering sharpens response and feedback. A ceramic-coated lightweight sports exhaust gives the V8 a harder, more brutal voice under acceleration while staying civil on long, fast journeys. In all, the conversion saved a remarkable 50 kg.

This 2008 SLR Roadster is one of those 25 McLaren Edition cars, and one of only six Roadsters to receive this treatment. The car is finished in Anthracite Grey with a Black soft top, and the cabin is trimmed in Anthracite leather and Alcantara. McLaren Orange runs throughout the cabin, from the diamond-pattern stitching across the seats to the Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel and the Speedmark logos embroidered into each headrest. Outside, 722 S wheels in an Anthracite finish frame McLaren Orange brake calipers carrying McLaren branding.

MSO reportedly completed the conversion in June 2017. Carbon fiber mirrors, branded carbon fiber sill panels, and an exposed carbon fiber front splitter sharpen the exterior, joined by the 722 Light Package. Inside, the Seat Comfort Package brings bespoke trim, and perforated orange leather detailing complements the stitching. Enamel badges include the car's individual build number on the center console.

It also carries the Low Temperature Cooler Upgrade, the most technical of those options. A standard SLR begins to derate as engine temperatures climb. The upgraded cooling lets this car hold its full output for far longer, the kind of detail that matters most on a long, hot run or a day on track.

Few SLRs are rarer than a McLaren Edition Roadster. This one pairs the full aerodynamic and chassis package with every available option and a restrained color scheme lifted by flashes of McLaren Orange. With the roof folded, the supercharged V8 roaring through its lighter exhaust, and the sharpened steering in hand, it delivers the SLR at its most focused, open to the sky.