Mercedes said over the weekend its Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition displays what it calls "thoroughbred motor-racing credentials." Whatever that means, the latest version of the SLR McLaren offers a boost in output, dynamic chassis tuning, aerodynamics and a new interior that supposedly will help you feel more like a Formula 1 driver.
We haven't driven it yet, but its performance specs at least put it in the same class as the Porsche 911 Turbo. According to Mercedes, the SLR McLaren 722 will throw you back in your seat, blasting from zero to 62.5 mph in 3.6 seconds and to 187.5 mph in 28.0 seconds. Its top speed is nothing less than 210.6 mph. These specs are achieved with the aid of a 650-horsepower, 5.5-liter supercharged V8, which Mercedes says was assembled by hand in Affalterbach, Germany.
Whether you push the cylinders to the max on the race track or along the Garden State Parkway, Mercedes says its oil-cooling technology draws on the brand's racing division experience by utilizing a specialty lubrication system. It comprises a five-speed oil suction pump and a two-speed oil pressure pump to make sure the car gets the lube it requires at all times.
This Mercedes also touts a general cooling system that the company says helps to boost torque delivery and output. Mercedes says the system does this by venting the hot air from the compressor through a separate water circuit.
