Mercedes SLR 722 S Roadster

McLaren ‘722 S’ SLR

Mercedes has confirmed that McLaren will build a special-edition ‘722 S’ version of the SLR roadster.

Deliveries will start in January, and only 150 versions will be built. Prices haven’t been confirmed, but it’s a fair bet that the 722 S will be sold at a substantial price premium to the standard £346,500 SLR Roadster.

Mercedes is also known to be working on a hardcore, ultra-low volume SLR Speedster as it prepares to bring its relationship with McLaren to a close.

Mercedes and McLaren are set to become road-car rivals as each launches the next generation of their ultra-fast offerings – we’ve already seen the gullwing-doored Mercedes SLC, and McLaren is known to be working on a new supercar.

The 722 S roadster gets reworked suspension compared to the basic SLR, with unique springs and dampers that lower ride height by 10mm. Power is provided by the SLR’s familiar supercharged 5.4-litre V8 in the same state of tune as the earlier 722 Coupe.

That means 650bhp and 605lb ft torque, with the roadster being good for a 3.7 second 0-62mph time and a claimed top speed of 208mph. Autocar