How many cars look like they’re going 200 mph standing still? When Mercedes teamed up with racing partner McLaren to build a no-holds-barred supercar, the result was phenomenal. Whether you consider the sinister grilles extracting air from the front wheel arches, or the carbon-fiber and aluminum construction that allow the big coupe to be incredibly light and strong, it is clear the SLR McLaren was built for one purpose: to make reaching its 207 mph terminal velocity look easy. Actually, make that two purposes, because if you blast through a few corners to get the brakes heated up, you’ll notice the turbine-inspired alloy wheels illuminated by the orange glow of superheated carbon-ceramic brake rotors that are capable of hauling the SLR down from astonishing speeds without fading. Crack a window to listen to the shriek of the twin-rotor supercharger feeding cold air to the big V8, and then close it to cruise in sporting comfort. It’s a fitting homage to the original Mercedes 300 SLR race cars that made famous racers like Stirling Moss unbeatable in the 1950s.
