Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Luxury Car 2003 Year 1/43 Scale Collectible Model

The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (C199 / R199 / Z199) is a hypercar jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive, built in Portsmouth and the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England and sold from 2003 to 2010. When the car was developed, German automotive manufacturer Mercedes-Benz owned 40 percent of the McLaren Group and the car was produced in conjunction between the two companies. SLR is an abbreviation for "Sport Leicht Rennsport" (Sport Light Racing), an homage to the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR which served as the car's inspiration. The car was offered in coupé, roadster and a limited edition speedster variants.

The SLR was succeeded by the SLS AMG in 2010.

At the 1999 North American International Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz presented their Vision SLR concept, inspired both by the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé of 1955, which was a modified Mercedes-Benz W196S race car, and the design of closed-wheel Formula One cars, a field in which Mercedes had prior experience, providing engines for McLaren bodies, as Mercedes-Benz were already designing and developing powertrains and electronics for McLaren's Formula One Team. The car was presented as "Tomorrow Silver Arrow" in a clear reference to the Silver Arrows of the golden age of Mercedes in competition during the fifties. Later that year, during the Frankfurt Motor Show, a roadster version of the SLR concept was presented. The concept car was fitted with a 5.0-litre supercharged AMG V8 engine able to deliver 565 PS (416 kW; 557 hp) and 720 N⋅m (531 lb⋅ft) of torque at 4,000 rpm, mated with a 5-speed automatic gearbox with Touchshift control.

Wanting to bring the concept to production following its positive reception, Mercedes joined with their Formula One partner, McLaren, thus creating the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. The production version of the car was unveiled to the general public on 17 November 2003 featuring some minor design adjustments in respect of the initial design. The adjustments included more complex vents on both sides of the car, a redesigned front with the three pointed star plunged in the nose and red tinted rear lights.

The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren saw a production run of over six years. On 4 April 2008, Mercedes announced it would discontinue the SLR. The last of the coupés rolled off the production line at the end of 2009 and the roadster version was dropped in early 2010. Due to the automatic gear box, front mid-engine arrangement, and its driving characteristics, some automotive journalists classify the SLR McLaren as a grand tourer, whose rivals would include vehicles such as the Aston Martin DBS V12 and the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.