SLC: Next Mercedes supercar to be built without McLaren
 

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.

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

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

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).

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

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.

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.

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

So true Dani :lol:

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

No the Veyron is the fastest GT around. It is actually a GT though most people refer to it as a supercar 8)

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 !!

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 .. ;) .. .

.. 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