Test drive Mercedes Benz Slr Strip Moss 2009 compartment
It's time to dream
What is it like to rush at a speed of 250 km/h with a wind in the head on a family standing in Russia 700,000 euros? Mikhail Gzovsky shares the sensations. Photo: Konstantin Yakubov and Mercedes.Sometimes we almost do not feel speed. We fly in a matter of hours of thousands of kilometers on jet liners, we pass hundreds on high -speed trains, reading and peacefully drinking coffee. On cruising aircraft 900 km/h, I think not about flight and not about speed: I am worried about the upcoming meeting with the SLR Mc Laren Roadster Mercedes-Benz, whose wheel is sitting in a few hours. Power of 626 hp, maximum speed 332 km/h! You have to live with a machine, to compete with which a dozen supercars are able to
When I go to the SLR asphalt flattened, the excitement retreats, replacing me with impatience. But how to open the door? In the eyes of the company’s employees, I probably look funny: instead of pressing a large key in the wing, I try to pick up it on the side for a few seconds. The door with hissing takes up half a meter gas emphasis. I am crossing the thirty -centimeter threshold and not at all elegantly land in the bucket of a sports chair.
With the launch of the motor, thank God, I managed: I turn the key, throwing the lid on the gearbox lever and press the button illuminated by the red. In response, the air cuts the uterine roar of the eight of AMG, frightening the flock of peacefully walking pigeons. Roadster shudders, and a phrase from the classics pops up in my head: raise my eyelids. Later, in a conversation with one of the developers of SLR, Christoph Bukow, I served: how did you manage to certify such a juicy and loud sound? Christophe smiled slyly: the microphones of measuring complexes are designed to measure the noise level in the rear bumper area, and in the SLR, the pipes are brought under the threshold behind the front wheel.
A 5-speed machine selector in a drive, slightly touch the gas pedal. The tachometer arrow is barely noticeable in response, and the SLR is confidently removed from the place. We have to find a good place for shooting in Stuttgart the estate of the Mercedes Benz. The streets are teeming with the merits of all stripes, but each driver considers it a duty to slow down and make out SLR! It is worth stopping for five minutes, curious flows from all sides, look into the salon and clatter their tongues. The climax of the photo shoot at the Mercedes-Benz museum. Visitors attacked the car that had not yet been presented in the museum so actively that I had to hastily retire to service parking.
I am already mastering in the city: I'm not afraid for a long hood from the driver's seat; I more confidently turn the rather heavy steering wheel and calculate the slowdown, taking into account the specifics of ceramic brakes, which are extremely reluctant to besiege the class in unimaginated. Do not want to ride in Schwabian alb? I dream!
Departure from the city, Autoban. Leading Mercedes-Vyano occupies the left row, briskly gaining speed. I am in a rather dense stream on a family with an pubescent top. There is no more strength to go slowly! And for the first time I pushed the gas pedal to the end. I barely had time to think: the box here was not the fastest in the next moment the engine hit the ears with low frequencies, I got a powerful impetus and I don’t remember how Rogster jumped from 100 to 200 km/h. I release the gas pedal and again revel in a sense of omnipotence, when the speedometer arrow rapidly crosses a mark of 250 km/h, and light discomfort is associated only with the frantic force of the raising air.
Swabian alb appeared with tall wooded hills, but the roads are almost empty. On a serpentine, Slr teases: can you even quickly? And more?! It seems there is no power that will drive the car from the trajectory! Soon, the star on the hood rests on the barrier of the runway, built by the Americans after the war, and now used by Mercedes as a miniature training ground. Here SLR will burn the tires seriously!
I turn off the stabilization system. Left leg on the brake, the right presses on the gas start! Roadster lets the puffs of smoke and, throwing his tail, rushes forward. The dancing of the stern continues at a speed of a hundred! Electronics, as it turned out, is deactivated only partially, they still pull the machine, so that acceleration becomes more effective. By the way, the declared 3.8 seconds of acceleration to 100 km/h are reached only with the ESP turned on. All! The two -kilometer runway ends. Braking with 200 km/h on warmed disks shocks no less than acceleration. Overload at the moment when the driver literally hangs on a seat belt reaches 1.3g!
Under the noise of the rain, they returned to Stuttgart. Even in a hotel room I continue to think only about the car. The rumble of release in the head merges with the joyful chants of football fans outside the window. For two days with this car, I made two conclusions. Firstly, the capabilities of the car are repeatedly overlap my driver's skills. Secondly, it is imperfect! SLR is overly muffled and still admits the rolls that is unacceptable for an uncompromising sports car. And in it there is an automatic machine and a completely unknown system of stabilization ...
But the idea of \u200b\u200bSLR is truly brilliant! The machine allows you to feel gigantic power not to the detriment of safety. In addition, for a car of this class, SLR is very comfortable and well adapted for everyday driving.
The main thing is the embodiment of a dream! Dreams in the broadest sense of the word. The creators of the SLR dreamed of building a monument to the victories of a Mercedes in the race of the 1950s. Buyers overtake the wind and prove their viability to the world. I touch the legend, albeit not for long.
A year later, the last cops of SLR will leave the gates of the Mc Laren to the UK. Modernization would require too much costs and would damage the image. Perhaps the legend will leave us for another half a century. It's time to dream! _X0008_
Slr McLaren Roadster Crazy Power of the Racing Car in Civilized Packing
At the peak of technology
Body: The Slr front line is borrowed from the world of Formula 1 made of carbon fiber. This design provides extreme stiffness and protects in an accident. SLR is equipped with a six -channel diffuser under the bottom that increases the clamping force.
Brakes: 8- and 4-cylinder calipers press the pads to the ceramic ventilated discs (diameter 370 mm in front and 360 mm behind). The declared service life is 300,000 km! In addition, with intensive slowdown, the balloon is put forward at the stern.
Motor: 8-cylinder, with a dry crankcase and a mechanical supercharger, like that of the famous ancestor. In fact, this is the forced engine SL 55 AMG, which issues 460 kW/626 hp. and 780 nm.
Transmission: AMGSPEEDSHIFT R. The driver chooses a comfortable, manual or sports regime with a rotating pen on the console. In manual, it is possible to reduce switching time through another controller with three provisions: Sport, Supeersport and Race.
SPORTS. EASY. RACING
The year 1955 became truly great for the Mercedes-Benz. The SLR model (the abbreviation is sports, light, racing) has repeatedly won the most prestigious races, in particular Mille Miglia, Targa Florio and Tourist Trophy. At the wheel of SLR were the legendary Juan Manuel Fanhio, Steering Moss. That machine was equipped with a 3-liter 8-cylinder engine with a capacity of 310 hp. and developed more than 300 km/h. The road version of the SLR is known to connoisseurs under the name of Ulenhut's compartment in honor of the Creator, Rudolf Ulenhut. The engineer took the 300 SL model in 1954 with the doors of the Seagull wing. By the way, the design of the Mercedes brought the glory of the doors the only possible solution: the spatial frame 300 SL did not allow making the doors swing.
Mikhail Gzovsky
Source: The magazine "Driving"