Mercedes SLR McLaren in Roadster version

Stuttgart - Mercedes-Benz is offering its super sports car the SLR McLaren in a Roadster version, using Formula 1 technology with the body constructed almost entirely of carbon fibre.

From the exterior the car reminds one of the Mercedes super sports cars of the 1950s with lateral louvers, side exhaust pipes behind the front wheels and wide-opening gullwing doors.

It is powered by a supercharged 5.5-litre V8 compressor engine with an output of 460 kW/626 hp. The top speed is listed at 332 km/h with an acceleration from zero to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds.

The fully-retractable top blends harmoniously into the flowing silhouette. The roof material is available in three different colours.

Favourable aeroacoustics make a conversation possible with the top down at speeds of over 200 km/h. The semi-automatic roof opens or closes in less than ten seconds. To open, the roof needs to be unlocked from the windshield frame, folding away electrically.

A high degree of safety is ensured by unique carbon-fibre crash elements, steel-reinforced A-pillars and two fixed roll-over bars. The comprehensive specification also features adaptive airbags, knee and side airbags as well as seat belt tensioners and a tyre-pressure monitoring system.

Standard equipment includes semi-aniline-leather-upholstered carbon-fibre bucket seats which can be individually adapted to the driver and front passenger by means of differently sized seat pads, dual-zone automatic air-conditioning, a BOSE premium sound system, a multifunction sport steering wheel with gear-change paddles and a navigation system with integral radio and CD player.

Like the coupe, the SLR Roadster is produced at McLaren's Formula 1 factory in Woking, England, and will be available in Europe from September this year, according to the car maker. A price has not yet been announced. ?© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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