The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is an Anglo-German grand tourer jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive, built in Portsmouth and the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. At the time Mercedes-Benz owned 40 percent of the McLaren Group.
Due to the presence of the automatic gear box, front mid-engined arrangement, and its driving characteristics, some commentators classify the SLR McLaren as a GT whose rivals would be vehicles like the Aston Martin DBS V12 and Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.
SLR stands for "Sport, Leicht, Rennsport" (sport, light, racing). Mercedes-Benz stated that they would build 3,500 SLRs over a span of seven years, with an annual production of 500 cars. The car's base price, GB£295,337 (approx. US$450,000, €351,269, CHF 500,000 or C$ 499,999c. 2009), made it the ninth most expensive street legal car in the year 2008.
