Yes.
There are just three of these high-performance two-seaters in the United States now and all were staged at the storied hotel for a media event by special invitation.
Only 150 roadsters will be available for the next two years. So this is not a model commonly available in the fleet for media evaluations.
The starting price of the 2008 Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR roadster is $495,000, not including the $2,750 freight charge from England. Rounding up, that comes pretty close to a half-million dollars. Special leather colors can add $9,900, and there are other options, such as contrasting stitching for $600 or red or gold brake calipers for $840, to buoy the price.
The roadster - a euphemism that conjures images of jaunty British sports-car motoring - is preceded by the McLaren SLR coupe ($450,000), which debuted in 2006. About 445 have been sold.
For 2007, Mercedes-Benz honored veteran SLR racer Stirling Moss by offering the McLaren SLR 722 Edition. It cost $480,000, had 650 horsepower and just 24 were built. The 722 recalls Moss' 7:22 a.m. start time for the 1955 Mille Miglia, the open-road endurance race through Italy that Moss won with co-driver Dennis Jenkinson.
The 2008 roadster is not about jaunty motoring. And the news angle isn't so much about what the car is, but why it is.
It creates "a sense of occasion," Mercedes-Benz spokesman Geoff Day said.
The car is not about performance, he said. It's not about the ride. It's not about comfort.
Mark Maynard is driving in cyberspace at mark.maynard@uniontrib.com.
Tune into signonradio.com and join Maynard's Garage Internet radio Mondays at 1 p.m. for 30 minutes of automotive news and reviews. For more about the McLaren SLR, go to Maynard's Garage blogsite: weblog.signonsandiego.com/weblogs/garage.
SPECS BOX
2008 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren roadster
Body style: two-door, two-seat carbon-fiber monocoque convertible with power top
Engine: aluminum, SOHC, 24-valve, 5.5-liter V-8 with belt-driven supercharger and dual intercoolers; two spark plugs per cylinder
Horsepower: 617 at 6,500 rpm; maximum engine speed, 7,000 rpm
Torque: 575 at 3,250 to 5,000 rpm
Acceleration: 0-60 mph, 3.8 seconds; top speed, 206 mph
EPA fuel economy estimates: 12 mpg city, 16 mpg highway; premium fuel recommended
Length/wheelbase: 183.3/106.3 inches
Curb weight: 3,779 pounds
PRICING
Base: $497,750, including $2,750 freight charge
Final assembly: Woking, England
SIDEBAR
Big honkin' wheels
By Mark Maynard
New wheel styles are a blur of similarity, but when a new wheel business with history and heritage starts up, it's worth taking a look.
Brock Weld, son of the founder of Weld Racing Wheels, which was recently sold to American Racing/Platinum Equity, has started his own wheel company, BMF Wheels, with Blake Ramthun.
Weld's company focuses on off-road and lifted trucks. The wheel designs are big and different, with chrome and "death metal" black finishes and a three-dimensional appearance.
The wheels are manufactured for extreme use and are compatible with tire-pressure monitoring systems.
There are four styles in 20-, 22- and 24-inch diameters that have been designed for the new Toyota Tundra and Jeep Wranglers (including the four-door Unlimited); Nissan Titan; the half-ton Chevy, GMC and Cadillac trucks, and sport-utility vehicles; half-ton Ford and Lincoln trucks and SUVs; and all three-quarter and one-ton trucks.
BMF Wheels are available at tire stores and off-road businesses, including 4 Wheel Direct, PG Series and Street Trendz. Pricing ranges from $350 to $780 per wheel.
For more information, visit bmfwheels.com or call 888-313-2580.
