march-2010

SUPERCAR
Stirling Moss
The Briton, often referred
to as “the greatest driver
never to win the World
Championship”, came
second four times in a row,
from 1955 to 1958. But he is
rightly regarded as one of
the sport’s greats, as much
for his attitude as his
daring drives, particularly
in endurance races. He
won 212 of the 529 races
he entered, including 16
Formula One Grands Prix.
32 Holland Herald FAST
Corbis
“It has the kind of acceleration that leaves
your face contorting”
wind pummels your face, and you
feel the kind of racing thrill that must
have driven Moss to such heights. You
also begin to understand what he meant
when saying that in racing, “it is
necessary to relax your muscles when
you can. Relaxing your brain is fatal.”
Fortunately, the SLR’s braking
matches its acceleration, thanks to large
diameter, carbon ceramic brake disks.
And if more is needed, at heavy braking
– more than 120 kilometres per hour –
the airbrake takes over, an innovation
reserved for the most high-performance
machines. But that shouldn’t be
required, as long as you follow the
advice of Stirling Moss. Because, at high
speed, the precision of the front axle is
pleasantly surprising, and while the
THE NUMBERS
ENGINE: V8 5.5l supercharged
HORSEPOWER: 650
GEARBOX: 5-speed automatic
VALVES PER CYLINDER: 3
WHEELS: 19-inch rims, 255/35 and
295/30, with R19 tyres
WEIGHT: 1,551 kilograms (empty)
BRAKES: carbon ceramic disks
NOUGHT TO 100KPH: 3.5 seconds
TOP SPEED: 350 kilometres per hour
PRODUCTION: 75 vehicles
PRICE: €900,000
steering is restrained at lower speeds, it
becomes lighter and more precise the
faster you move. The suspension has
also been reworked, to give the car even
more fi rmness and to adapt better to the
road’s surface. It all combines for the
kind of driving pleasure that few other
cars can offer.
However, before ordering one, you
should realise that all this power comes
at a price. A price of some €900,000, to
be precise. Current SLR owners,
however, were permitted a sneak
preview, and have been involved in the
development of this new toy, evaluating
its design since 2008, then excitedly
taking the fi rst road tests. As a result,
many of the 75 new cars have already
found their buyers. The rest of us can
just watch and wonder.