Officially Official: McLaren SLR Stirling Moss to bow in Detroit

Things got just a bit brighter for the Detroit Auto Show. Mercedes-Benz will officially unveil what will surely be one of the most attention-grabbing cars in Cobo Hall, the 2009 McLaren SLR Stirling Moss. The boldly styled Merc will be the last vehicle built under the partnership with McLaren, and even at a cost of €750,000 Mercedes should have no trouble finding buyers for the 75-car allotment. Each will feature full carbon fiber bodywork wrapped over the standard version, a 650-hp supercharged 5.5-liter V8 and the five-speed automatic transplanted from the SLR 722. Despite lacking any sort of roof or proper windscreen, the Stirling Moss can still achieve a top speed of 217 mph and can reach 100 km/h in just 3.5 seconds. Other unique features include "swing-wing" doors, a retractable air brake that can be operated manually and a two-piece tonneau cover (stored in the trunk) that can cover the entire cockpit or just the passenger seat. Check out the gallery below for high-resolution images, and expect plenty more when we see the car live in Detroit. Gallery: 2009 Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR Stirling Moss

 

Rumormill: Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss roadster

We've seen quite a few spy photos of a lightweight speedster variant of the McLaren SLR supercar, but up until now we didn't know exactly what Mercedes-Benz had in store for us. Thanks to Dutch magazine AutoVisie and a scanner-wielding member of GermanCarZone.com, we now have a few more rendering and a possible name: Stirling Moss. The legendary British racecar driver won his first F1 Grand Prix in a Mercedes-Benz, and famously won the 1955 Mille Miglia in record time piloting a 300 SLR. The car to bear his name features a nearly identical version of the supercharged V8 in the standard SLR, although output is nearly on par with the SL65 AMG Black Series at 650 horsepower. That should allow the Stirling Moss SLR to hit 62 mph in under 3.5 seconds and on to a face-contorting top-speed of 205 mph. Beginning in June of 2009, 75 examples will be produced, with current SLR customers being the only people deemed worthy of piloting the McLaren SLR Stirling Moss. Thanks for the tip, Mark! Gallery: Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR Sterling Moss   Gallery: Spy Shots: McLaren SLR Speedster [Source: GermanCarZone.com, The Sun]

 

Ferrari F1 going racing with... Tata Motors?

An historic event will take place at the start of the 2009 Formula 1 season as Italian Ferrari grand prix cars will be emblazoned with the logos of an Indian automaker for the first time ever. Tata Motors, a subsidiary of the Tata Group, has purchased rights to sponsor Ferrari's F1 racing efforts. Details of the duration and the dollar amount have yet to be revealed. This isn't the first time Tata has been involved with F1, however. A few years back, it was a sponsor of both Jordan and Williams' F1 efforts. The partnership is not as left-field as it might initially seem, as Fiat (which owns the Prancing Horse) has a few joint ventures with the Indian automaker. Ferrari, being a very small manufacturer of roadgoing supercars, requires sponsorships such as this to continue racing in such expensive series as Formula 1. For Tata, placing its corporate logos on Ferrari race cars outwardly associates them with one of the most prestigious marques in the world, a move they doubtlessly see as key in their push to become a global automotive force. [Source: Times of India]

 

Spy Shots: 2010 Mercedes S-Class

The current Mercedes S-Class is getting the nip/tuck treatment, and when the newer, younger looking car arrives in mid-2009 -- as a 2010 model -- it will come with an Audi-esque band of LED daytime running lights below the headlamps, and a Porsche-esque band of LEDs in the lower front fascia. Out back, the rear lamps get a much slicker treatment in basic red and white. And for the interior, SPLITVIEW will make it's split-personality entrance so that passengers can watch movies without being disturbed by all that driving going on in the next seat. Thanks for the tip, Jordan! [Source: World Car Fans]