Horsepower: 626. Top speed: 332 kilometres an hour. Construction: carbon fibre. Price: US$495,000. This car is so over the top in every way that it is only fitting it should lose it. Welcome aboard the 2008 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster, a car so insanely fast it can cover the length of a football field in one second.
After building 1,100 units of the SLR McLaren Coupe since its launch in 2003, Mercedes-Benz has decided to introduce a new roadster variant to extend the life of its Formula One-inspired supercar. Just like the Coupe, the SLR Roadster will be built at the McLaren F1 factory in Woking, England. And, like the Coupe, it features extensive use of exotic materials such as carbon fibre, from which the monocoque chassis is made, as well as carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic, which is used for the bodyshell and the uber-cool gullwing doors.
