When Mercedes and McLaren made a joint effort to make the SLR McLaren, it came at a time when you had cars like the Ferrari Enzo and Porsche Carrera GT around and because the SLR McLaren looked very much like a Mercedes it never really seemed to get a whole lot of attention compared to some of the other supercars from that time.
This seemed to apply even to the SLR McLaren 722 Edition. It remains quite underrated even though it was a special edition limited to 150 units. However, like with a lot of underrated supercars, if you get to know the story behind them, they definitely become more interesting.
With the SLR 722 Edition, it is the heritage it pays tribute to. When Mercedes made the new special edition of the SLR Mclaren, they decided to name it the 722 Edition as a tribute to the Mercedes 300 SLR #722 that won the Mille Miglia in 1955, being raced by Sir Stirling Moss and co driver Denis Jenkinson.
The 722 has 641 horsepower, making it more powerful compared to the standard SLR. There were also aerodynamic changes and several parts upgraded to improve performance. Visible on the side of the car is 722 badging in red, just like the 300 SLR which also had their racing number in red.
Sure, the SLR 722 may not be as insane as some of its counterparts, but I think that might actually be its biggest strength. Considering the SLR is more of a GT than a supercar that is catered for the track, it is actually quite usable for city use.
Unlike the Enzo and Carrera GT, the SLR McLaren is a front engine car and that makes it easier to handle since you wouldn’t be encountering the kind of oversteer that would happen with a mid or rear engine car. With more balanced characteristics, the SLR 722 is comfortable enough to use even for daily driving, but at the same time it has enough performance behind that it in case you want to go all out driving it, you very much can. You just cannot go wrong with that.
Photo Credit: RM Sotheby’s
Share:
Leave a Reply