Mercedes to give Formula One Champ Alonso a McLaren SLR 722

Formula One champ Fernando Alonso, the 25-year old Spaniard has been given the best that Mercedes-Benz has to offer–the ultra-rare Mercedes-McLaren 722. Alonso describes the McLaren as the “prettiest car in the world.”

The McLaren 722 was constructed at the same Woking base in the UK where the MP4-22 racecar was also produced. The Special edition SLR is just one of the 150 cars in production – developed with the help of supercar legend Gordon Murray.

The 722 labeling was taken from a race in 1955 where Stirling Moss and his co-driver Denis Jenkinson competed using a Mercedes Benz 300 SLR. The race started at exactly 7:22 in the morning at the Mille Miglia, thus the 722 labeling.

Alonso is not the only one with a new coupe even his rookie teammate Lewis Hamilton will get a new coupe from Mercedes-Benz. The automaker though has not yet announced what the model would be but according to some sources a B-class would probably be given to Hamilton.

Facts on Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is a sports car and a super automobile developed by DaimlerChrysler in partnership with McLaren Cars. It is also one of the fastest automatic transmission cars in the world.

The SLR stands for “Sportlich, Leicht, Rennsport” German for “Sport; Light; Racing”. It also stands for “super-leicht, Rennsport” or super-light, racing. A new version of the SLR was introduced in 2006 called the “2007 Mercedes-Benz SLR 722 Edition”.

The 722 Edition creates 650bhp with a top speed of 337 km/h. To counter the problems with the previously produced SLR, a new suspension was used with the addition of 19-inch light-alloy wheels, a stiffer damper configuration and 0.4 inches lower body. Speaking of previous problems, one of the most criticized parts of earlier SLRs were its brakes. According to Richard Hammond of Top Gear, “It’s not that they don’t work–they do, but it’s the way they do it: they are either on or off.” Although the SLR’s brakes are extremely powerful they are described as binary as if they were designed for panic stops at 200 mph.

Critics of the earlier produced SLR recommend the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG as a better buy since it’s a more planted car with more powerful engine with 738 lb-ft torque. It can also accelerate from 0 to 60 mph 0.1 seconds slower and has a top speed limited to 155 mph. According to Mercedes-Benz the production of SLR will end in 2008 fortunately production of quality auto parts like its popular Mercedes tie rod for SLR and other range of Mercedes cars will continue.