The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is already one of the world`s

722
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MERCEDES-BENZ SLR McLAREN 722
The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is already one of
the world’s ultimate super sports cars. Now it has a
sportier, faster sibling. Racing Line takes a closer look
words
nic shaw
photos
mclaren
T
hat the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is a hugely
accomplished machine is no secret. It combines
stupendous dynamics, race-bred engineering and
handcrafted luxury in a package that offers true everyday
usability. What is less well known is that more than 1200
have been built, meaning Woking and Stuttgart’s finest is on
course to become the world’s best-selling super sports car.
Yet no matter how successful a product is, there will
always be people who desire something a little different,
a variation on a theme – an SLR McLaren, for example,
honed for a touch more on-track performance, one even
more exclusive than the original. For those discerning
individuals, McLaren Automotive and Mercedes-Benz
have created the awesome SLR McLaren 722 Edition.
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Lower, lighter, faster, more focused and more, well,
everything, the only thing the 722 Edition isn’t, or at least
won’t be, is common, because only 150 are being made.
It features more than 300 new or modified components,
including improved aerodynamics refined with Formula 1
know-how, and an even more powerful version of the
AMG-tuned supercharged 5.5-litre V8 that weighs in with
a mighty 478kW (650hp), and 820Nm (604lb/ft) of torque.
Together, they allow the car to scythe through the air at
a stratospheric 337km/h (209mph) and complete the sprint
from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in just 3.6 seconds. Thanks
to larger 390mm-diameter carbon fibre-reinforced ceramic
front brake discs and revised ESP system, the 722 Edition
stops more quickly than the original SLR McLaren, too.
But what does that all mean? Well, around Germany’s
legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit, a stern test
for any sports car, the 722 Edition is a full 10 seconds
quicker than the original car. With a time of around seven
and a half minutes, that safely puts it in the top five fastest
production cars of all time to have set a time there. That
is also only marginally slower than James Hunt lapped the
track in his World Championship-winning McLaren M23
Formula 1 car at the Nordschleife’s last-ever grand prix.
In addition to a 10mm-lower ride height, retuned springs
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and dampers, and a 44kg weight-loss programme, the 722
Edition’s lower lap time owes much to the extra downforce,
and therefore grip, generated by the revised aerodynamics.
The carbon fibre front air splitter alone generates 128 per
cent more downforce over the front axle, and the small
air dams around the rear wheels reduce turbulence in the
diffuser to make it 13 per cent more efficient. Of course,
extra grip also makes the car even safer on public roads.
Racing Line was introduced to the 722 Edition at a
technology workshop for lifestyle and motoring journalists
at the McLaren Technology Centre held before the official
launch at the Paris Motor Show. Proceedings kick off in
the SLR Experience Centre with a few words from Ron.
“This super sports car is about performance, but also
passion,” he says. “Here at McLaren we are proud to have
developed this very special and exclusive vehicle in
conjunction with Mercedes-Benz. It brings together the
best technology from our two organisations’ road car
and Formula 1 programmes.”
He then hands over to Klaus Nesser, CEO Maybach, SLR
and exclusive products for DaimlerChrysler, who offers
a little background on the origins of the new car. “The
722 Edition was born out of customer demand for a higher
performance derivative of the SLR McLaren,” he says.
This page: the 722
Edition looks even
more purposeful
than the original
(top); Ron welcomes
the journalists in
the SLR Experience
Centre (above left);
inspecting a partbuilt SLR McLaren
(centre); McLaren
Automotive’s
pristine assembly
line (right)
Opposite (clockwise
from top left): Klaus
Nesser reveals
the inspiration for
the 722 Edition; the
new car is revealed;
a bodyshell in bare
carbon; work in
progress on the
assembly line;
the journalists
take a closer look;
weather simulation;
rolling road testing;
the finished article;
each SLR McLaren
is handbuilt
Opposite (clockwise
from top left): the
722 Edition’s lights
are mounted in new
palladium grey
surrounds; carbon
fibre centre console;
steering wheel has
AMG paddles; seats
have contrasting
red stitching; the
front splitter; vents
to cool the 5.5-litre
Mercedes-Benz V8;
the 722 Edition has
new 19-inch alloy
wheels and larger
front brakes
This page: 722
Edition sits 10mm
lower than the
original car (top);
new badging on the
wings (above left);
rear diffuser is 13
per cent more
efficient (centre);
name comes from
start time of the
Mille Miglia-winning
300 SLR (right)
“Last year, a group of around 30 of our customers drove
from Munich to attend the Mille Miglia in Brescia in Italy,
where they celebrated the 50th anniversary of Stirling
Moss and David Jenkinson’s victory in the 1955 event.
“They won this race driving a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR,
which was one of the main inspirations for the SLR McLaren.
Afterward those customers suggested that we should
develop a special high-performance version of the SLR
McLaren to commemorate the victory. The 722 name is
derived from Moss and Jenkinson’s 7.22am start time.”
We then enjoy a comprehensive tour of the McLaren
Technology Centre, during which staff from McLaren
Automotive, McLaren Racing and Mercedes-Benz explain
the main innovations featured in the 722 Edition.
First comes an overview of McLaren Racing’s wind
tunnel and the significant role aerodynamics played in
fine-tuning the new car. Then Chris Goodwin, McLaren
Automotive’s chief test driver, offers insight into road
car chassis tuning with the advanced chassis rig used
by Team McLaren Mercedes as a backdrop.
This is followed by a quick introduction to the composite
and carbon fibre manufacturing techniques used in the
SLR McLaren, and also the weight-saving refinements
incorporated in the 722 Edition. Then comes an overview
of the extensive vehicle development programme that
the 722 Edition went through. Finally, we tour the pristine
80m-long McLaren Automotive assembly line. Only then do
we return to the SLR Experience Centre via the Boulevard
to view the 722 Edition in the flesh for the first time.
We gather in the centre’s curvaceous, minimalist interior,
then, to the accompaniment of an impressive sound and
light show, the 722 Edition rotates into view with a waft
of dry ice. Initially, there is silence from the audience
as we all take in the view. Then, after a few moments of
keeping a respectful distance, the journalists start chatting
and crowding around the car before taking turns to sample
the luxurious but purposeful cockpit.
It is, as you would expect, a very pleasant place to be.
The seats and other soft surfaces are upholstered in black
leather and Alcantara, with tactile surfaces such as the
steering wheel in soft hunting leather. Unlike the original
car, the wheel also features AMG gearshift paddles. The
centre console and doors, meanwhile, are in carbon fibre.
Later, McLaren Automotive’s managing director Antony
Sheriff sums up the 722 Edition. “This car isn’t intended
to be better than the SLR McLaren, it’s just got a different
focus, with a different flavour. Of course,” he says with
a smile, “it still tastes delicious.” n
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