Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster 2007

The number 722 does not refer to engine output. It recalls the 7:22 a.m. starting time of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR driven by Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson in the 1955 Mille Miglia. The standard Roadster also has a distinctive visual and acoustic signature: its side-exit exhausts emerge just behind the front wheels, as on the coupe. Mercedes-Benz also stated that the fabric roof could be opened or closed in less than ten seconds.

Mercedes-Benz archive material lists the SLR McLaren Roadster’s production period as beginning with pre-production cars in May 2007 and continuing through May 2009. Assembly took place at McLaren’s facilities in Woking, England, under Mercedes-Benz quality requirements. The exact number of standard Roadsters is not identified in the sources consulted. Mercedes-Benz does state that approximately 2,000 SLR McLaren cars were produced overall, across the complete family. That figure includes coupes, Roadsters, 722 derivatives, and the SLR Stirling Moss, so it should not be treated as a production total for the 2007 standard Roadster alone.

Contemporary road tests generally emphasized the SLR McLaren Roadster’s dramatic presence, immense power, and unusual structural rigidity for an open car. Auto Bild focused on its headline performance and the AMG V8’s substantial torque. Car and Driver recorded acceleration close to four seconds to 60 mph, praised the car’s grip and found the carbon-ceramic brakes capable of matching its speed. The magazine also identified compromises, including heavily weighted steering, a brake system that could be difficult to modulate, and considerable noise at high speed with the roof lowered. The period reception therefore presented the Roadster as exceptionally fast and exclusive, but less approachable than a lighter, more communicative sports car.