SLC: Next Mercedes supercar to be built without McLaren

[blue8]

From Motor Authority:
Mercedes-Benz will team up with its official DTM partner, HWA AG, to co-develop and build its new super-sports car as well as several other high-end performance models. The luxury brand is reportedly disappointed by the performance of its SLR McLaren when compared against its main rivals, and this is said to be a key reason why it sought a new partner to develop its latest sports car, reports Automotive News Europe.

In steps HWA. The motorsports company was formed by Hans-Werner Aufrecht in 1967, one of the founders of AMG, and is best known for its HWA Racing team, which competes in the German touring car series with the CLK-DTM.

The new model will be a race car built for the road and is likely to be powered by a higher performance version of the hand-built 6.2L V8 engine from AMG. To make it road-legal, the car will be officially sold under the Mercedes AMG label, but it will remain a genuine HWA race-developed product. Expect to see a concept version at next year’s Geneva Motor Show.

HWA will also be investing €4.5 million to expand its manufacturing facilities, which will see its current plant extend from 1,200 to 3,600 square meters. HWA spokesman Hans Jürgen Matheis revealed to The Insider that the motorsports company always had the ambition to prove to Mercedes that it could build a better road-car than McLaren, and now it finally gets its chance.

McLaren fans shouldn’t be completely disappointed. Substantial cash flows from its successful F1 team and the freeing up of resources from this latest announcement could eventually pave the way for the development of a successor to the original McLaren F1.

-- It was the last paragraph that got me excited. :D I'm glad they don't acknowledge the SLR as the F1's successor.

[Pokiou]

OMG OMG OMG.. pics pics pics !! :(

[chest3r]

OMG OMG OMG.. pics pics pics !! :(

:shock: :shock: :roll: :roll:

[number77]

The SLR was way to slow.
I'd be mad to.
I guess they just didn't care, or were put under too many constraints.
Mclaren can obviously build something fast, but the SLR just wasn't it (for its price).

[Bernardo]

Good for maclaren..mercedes actually destroyed the SLR by making It a GT car full of luxury things making it too heavy to compare to Its rivals..yet Its the fastest GT car around...the Enzo and CGT couldnt be placed as GT..they are supersport lightweight cars.

Hope Mclaren team up with BMW..then all my sweetest dreams will come true! :twisted: :twisted:

[blue8]

Good for maclaren..mercedes actually destroyed the SLR by making It a GT car full of luxury things making it too heavy to compare to Its rivals..yet Its the fastest GT car around...the Enzo and CGT couldnt be placed as GT..they are supersport lightweight cars.

Hope Mclaren team up with BMW..then all my sweetest dreams will come true! :twisted: :twisted:

Isn't the 599 GTB the fastest GT around? :D :D Even if it's not, the 599 is the best :P :mrgreen:

McLaren teaming up with BMW would be so great indeed!!! Sorry, but I don't think it will happen anytime soon since Mercedes and McLaren seem happy together

[Shinigami]

It's a shame MB still doesn't get it. They say they're disappointed by the performance of the SLR, but it's they who made the thing weight 2tons and only has a supercharged 5.5 liter engine that's like ten years old. Sur it does over 600hp, but why didn't they use the CLK-GTR type engine which is also found in the Zonda, or what about a boosted AMG 65 engine (6 liter twin-turbo). Brabus and co have been pumping up to 750hp from that thing...

But it's typical of MB, one of their mottos is that the car should still be comfy, luxurious and all that stuff...

I do love how the SLR looks like, I like the design, the materials used, the touch and feel, all the CF (polished and non-polished alike) used all over the car and the look of the engine bay, but the car just can't compete with LP640, 599, CGT and the likes, and for two very good reasons. Weight and automatic.

Still, makes for a good chilled out touring car.

[ZfrkS62]

stuff mercedes. They killed the SLR. Not McLaren.

McLaren had everything they need nailed down, then Mercedes said they wanted bells and whistles. The end result was a love child born of contention.

That car had great potential.

[R8audi]

I wonder if Gordon Murray will be involved again? Rumour has it that he's working on an F1 successor.... could this be it?

[Svensson]

So true Dani :lol:

Mercedes is the one who wanted it to have more GT luxury style stuff, not McLaren. McL FTW!!

[martin100]

Good for maclaren..mercedes actually destroyed the SLR by making It a GT car full of luxury things making it too heavy to compare to Its rivals..yet Its the fastest GT car around...the Enzo and CGT couldnt be placed as GT..they are supersport lightweight cars.

Hope Mclaren team up with BMW..then all my sweetest dreams will come true! :twisted: :twisted:

Isn't the 599 GTB the fastest GT around? :D :D Even if it's not, the 599 is the best :P :mrgreen:
No the Veyron is the fastest GT around. It is actually a GT though most people refer to it as a supercar 8)

[Z3uS]

Some of the most interesting news in a whle :shock:

New McLaren F1 :o

[chest3r]

Some of the most interesting news in a whle :shock:

New McLaren F1 :o

Is it gonna be as good and remarkable as the McLaren F1 just because it's made by McLaren ?!? :roll: I don't know !!

[saadie]

maybe someone from mclaren reminded the mercedes people that the most sucessfull mclaren was the F1 and it had a Bmw engine :lol: ...

anyway .... i would always take clk GTR over a pathetic mc merc SLR .. ;) .. .

[Kaz]

.. more indifferent than sad that they're leaving. oh well, and if mclaren teams up with bmw (?) it'll be a old school battle all over again

bmw + mclaren = mclaren f1
mb + hwa = clk gtr

whatever results, we'll have two awesome new hypercars *excited

[rave426]

MB can kiss my ass. It's their fault the car sucked. Screw this.....gimmie another BMW's powered McLaren car. how about a 7 liter V12 producing 750 hp with redline of 8500 rpm. Thats what im talking about.

[blue8]

Update from Motor Authority:

Updated: Mercedes won’t be taking any chances in the performance stakes with its new super-sports car following the disappointing results of its SLR supercar, which rarely comes first in comparo reviews.

The new model is set to be slotted in between the SLR and SL, and could feature a 700hp version of the 6.2L AMG V8 engine according to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport. However, we think it’d probably be closer to 600hp so as to not step on the toes of the SLR flagship. The source also reports that it might carry the name ‘SLC’ and could also feature a biturbo V8 model as well.

The SLC will share much in common with the next-generation SL Roadster, including most of the interior but will get its own carbon-fiber roof.

[Z3uS]

Some of the most interesting news in a whle :shock:

New McLaren F1 :o

Actually that was not the news at all... :? :lol:
It's because i was lazy to write more :lol:

[Fleischmann]

Updated: Mercedes won’t be taking any chances in the performance stakes with its new super-sports car following the disappointing results of its SLR supercar, which rarely comes first in comparo reviews.

These words seems slightly ironic as McLaren made the car do what it does and I think Mercedes held them back with their ideas.

Ermmm...MB's idea of a supercar. Take an SL, modify the engine, give it a carbon roof. Is that it ? :roll:

[rave426]

Well its official......its gonna be another car slaughtered by Mercedes.


If they are gonna do it, then do it right. Big V12 with hunkered stance. Got damn MB. They sicken me.

[Shinigami]

Some people in the know-how report that MB is working on a "Black Edition" of the SL, to be released in 2008 or later. They say it would eliminate the retractable roof and replace it with a CF one (similar to the SLK Black Edition), and this alone would remove 150kilos or so.

I think this report might be confusing the upcoming SL Black Edition with the next "supercar" from MB *shrug*

[Z3uS]

Some people in the know-how report that MB is working on a "Black Edition" of the SL, to be released in 2008 or later. They say it would eliminate the retractable roof and replace it with a CF one (similar to the SLK Black Edition), and this alone would remove 150kilos or so.

I think this report might be confusing the upcoming SL Black Edition with the next "supercar" from MB *shrug*
So we hope... :)

[blue8]

As previously reported, Mercedes and McLaren have parted ways, and development of the new M.B. supercar has been assigned to HWA AG, an operation directly connected to AMG.

We're already aware that the new Mercedes' halo will be sporting a 6.2-liter V8 – the same engine employed in several other AMG-massaged vehicles – but what we didn't know is that Mercedes and HWA plan to unveil their lovechild at the Geneva Motor Show next March, and they expect it to compete with the R8.

That last bit left us a trifle confused, as the R8 was built to compete with other high-end sports cars, including the Porsche 911 and the Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Mercedes already has several vehicles that flirt with that price point, although some may argue none are capable of the visceral thrills the others offer.

We'll be on hand to see the concept coupe unveiled next year, but in the meantime, we'd invite you to speculate about what HWA and Mercedes have planned.

[TopGearNL]

Some people in the know-how report that MB is working on a "Black Edition" of the SL, to be released in 2008 or later. They say it would eliminate the retractable roof and replace it with a CF one (similar to the SLK Black Edition), and this alone would remove 150kilos or so.

I think this report might be confusing the upcoming SL Black Edition with the next "supercar" from MB *shrug*

Exactly what I suggested :wink:

I guess they will use the new 63 engine instead of the 55 Kompressor...

Yeah probably, I think Mercedes only wants naturally aspirated engines in the future without compressors.

[blue8]

From Autozeitung:
http://autozeitung.de/online/bildDB/57481_700.jpg
http://autozeitung.de/online/bildDB/57477_700.jpg
http://autozeitung.de/online/bildDB/41639_700.jpg
^ The first two pics does seem like an R8-fighter. The third is just completely off

[DeMoN]

KEYWORD: could. I hope sometime soon, another word is used. I love the McLaren F1... reason why I am a McLaren follower in Formula 1, there is nothing more I'd love than to see THE mclaren f1 version 2

[R.P. Veyron]

Better then Slr??!!
Is difficult.. :) :)

[ESR_balla]

Mercedes is hilarious. So out of touch, I cant believe they consider this car a super car. Who would of thought that cars that weight 700+ pounds lighter go faster.

[blue8]

SLC test mule:
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/9641/mbslc4cf2.th.jpg (http://img232.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mbslc4cf2.jpg)http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/2378/mbslc4ie6.th.jpg (http://img164.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mbslc4ie6.jpg)http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/157/mbslc2wh4.th.jpg (http://img249.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mbslc2wh4.jpg)

Rumors have swirled for some time about Mercedes-Benz’s desire to build a new high-end sports car to compete with the likes of Porsche’s 911 Turbo and Audi’s pending higher-power V-10 R8 coupe (whose name has yet to be disclosed).

According to Hans Lehmann over at Hidden Image (whose spy shooters clocked this prototype), the car, dubbed “SLC,” will be built on the next-generation SL platform and be motivated by the company’s 6.2-liter AMG V-8. Given that it’s based on the SL’s architecture, the car is certain to be front-engined, and it’s likely to brandish around 500 horsepower, though a pair of turbos could be strapped on to provide a couple of hundred additional ponies if officials deem it necessary.

Like BMW’s M6, the SLC’s hard top is expected to be rendered in carbon fiber, a material which should be in good use throughout the vehicle.

Hidden Image expects the exotic to be revealed at next year’s Geneva Motor Show.

[TopGearNL]

Will the 6.3 litre engine be in it, or perhaps the AMG engine that is in the pagani? :twisted: