McLaren seem to hell bent on taking the fight to Ferrari even on the roadcars front.
These are artist's impressions of the SLS which is codenamed the P8. Of course, it will be a joint effort between Mercedes and McLaren.
This is supposed to be a competitor to the Ferrari F430, the Lamborghini Gallardo. It will be priced at around 150,000 $.
It will mostly be powered by a mid mounted V8 engine. The whole structure will be made of carbon fibre and it may use a more advanced version of the 7 speed tiptronic transmission system.
It is reasonable to think P8 will use the same lightweight carbon fiber monocoque construction as the SLR, and incorporate features such as Mercedes’ Pre-Safe early warning system that triggers safety systems in the event of an impending crash. Engineers are striving to keep weight to 3000 pounds, or close to that of the 360 Modena and Gallardo.
Expect serious attention to weight distribution to maximize handling, with 42 percent front and 58 percent rear weight bias the likely target. We know Mercedes and Michelin are developing a two-compound tire that could make it to P8.
Given M-B’s penchant for high-tech gadgets, the P8 is likely to employ the latest in electronic driver aids, too.
Some details abt the powerplant... Codenamed M156, it is an all-new normally aspirated 6.3-liter V8 that is also destined to power future AMG versions of the E-, CLS-, S-, CL- and SL-Class cars. The aluminum-block unit is based on Mercedes’ M273-designated four-valve-per-cylinder V8 due out next year, an engine that develops a reliable 500 hp on the engine dyno, say highly placed sources.
A twin-turbocharged version that churns out a mammoth 700 hp is in early development, though that mill has not yet received the production green light. The M156 is being developed under AMG engine boss Rolf Zimmermann, who is the mastermind behind the 367-hp normally aspirated and 500-hp supercharged 5.4-liter V8 powerplants in AMG models now. Zimmermann also developed the 555-hp 7.3-liter V12 engine that powers the Pagani Zonda S. Mystery still surrounds the gearbox choice for the new car. All of Mercedes’ recent performance cars—SLR included—get a beefed-up automatic transmission that runs the company’s so-called Speedshift electronics, which make for quicker gear changes.
This piece of news has been doing the rounds since 2004. It was estimated at that time that it would start testing by end of 2006 and be in showrooms by end of 2007.
But the sad part is that this car may have been shelved or postponed
But McLaren sources are insisting that it has only been postponed beyond the 2007 launch date.
I hope the McLaren guys are right. Would be a pity to see such a car made by McLaren be shelved.
McLaren and Mercedes-Benz have put plans for a mid-engined Ferrari F430 rival on hold amid a shake-up of the German company's forthcoming model line-up. New Mercedes boss Eckhard Cordes has ordered a full review of the company's future product strategy as it bids to improve quality and drive down costs. Every all-new car is said to be under scrutiny and the ‘baby' McLaren, codenamed P8, has been affected because it is seen as a niche car compared to its stablemates.
The P8 was conceived as a mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive sister to the £313,000 Mercedes SLR McLaren coupé (right), powered by a new 6.3-litre V8 engine developed by Merc's performance arm AMG. Aimed squarely at the F430 and Lamborghini Gallardo, the two-seater was expected to cost around £150,000 and to feature advanced carbonfibre monocoque construction.
Although some sources have suggested that the project has been shelved altogether, McLaren insists that the car has merely been delayed beyond its anticipated 2007 launch date.
‘We can confirm that Mercedes-Benz and McLaren have jointly taken the difficult decision to freeze the development of P8,' said a company spokesperson. ‘After successful completion of the concept development, both companies felt it was prudent to put the project on hold due to the challenges currently faced by the global automotive industry.'
Production of the SLR – currently running 50 per cent higher than planned, according to McLaren – will not be affected by the move.
And with Audi now announcing their R8 mid engined sports car, this section is sire hotting up. We have the F430, the Gallardo, the Ford GT and now these two new cars.....
SPY PICS
These pictures prove that early development work is well under way on the 'baby' McLaren, with plans to sell as many as 2000 cars a year to rival the likes of the Ferrari 360 Modena, Lamborghini Gallardo and all-new Audi R8. Although McLaren engineers are remaining tight-lipped about the project, we have learnt that feasibility studies are currently being carried out on the car at one of Mercedes’ secret test-centres in Germany.
McLaren is hoping to use carbonfibre construction for the new car, although there are doubts about the economic viability of using the material for a car with a projected price tag of about 150,000 Euros.
Sources couldn't be budged on whether the new car, thought to be code-named P8, will have a three-seat arrangement similar to that of the F1, but equally our source doggedly refused to confirm the new car as a conventional two-seater. One possibility is that the third seat would be mounted centrally towards the rear, the reverse of the F1's layout. It will be mid-engined though, partly to make it distinct from the front-engined Mercedes SLR McLaren.
And it’s already certain that the car will have to be built by Mercedes, as McLaren's new Woking factory is tied up producing the SLR and doesn't have the spare capacity. It seems that the SLR, the brainchild of Ron Dennis, was originally designed to be the definitive GT car. Ferrari's 550 Maranello was the original target car for the project but it became clear that the SLR would be in a different league when the first projected performance figures were calculated using the higher-than-expected output from the supercharged Mercedes V8. This would in fact leave space for a smaller car, probably called the Mercedes SLS McLaren.
I so hope that the car hasnt been shelved completely..... I hope it is made finally. Would love to see how it would stack up against the Ferrari 430 on the road and the track
McLaren's SLS (codenamed P8).
