For Sale at Auction: 2008 Mercedes-Benz SLR in Las Vegas, Nevada

Chassis No. WDDAK76F68M001652

Mercedes-Benz presented the production SLR McLaren, developed in partnership with McLaren, at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2003. The name, SLR, goes back more than 70 years to 1955. Short for Sport Leicht Rennsport, it was used to designate the 300 SLR that won the Mille Miglia with Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson and helped Mercedes-Benz claim that year's World Sportscar Championship. More than just a name, the new SLR openly displayed its heritage with a long hood, gilled side intakes, and side-exit exhaust that echoed the 1955 racer's silhouette. Its pointed arrow nose and double front spoiler, meanwhile, drew on the McLaren-Mercedes Silver Arrows then competing in Formula One.

The Roadster was introduced in July 2007, with deliveries starting that September. Removing the roof brought the SLR closer still to the open two-seaters that raced in the 1950s. Its fabric soft top opens and closes semi-automatically in under ten seconds and was designed to stay secure at high speed. Steel-reinforced A-pillars and two fixed rollover bars protect the occupants when the top is stowed. The Roadster matched the coupe's top speed of 206 mph.

The SLR's construction drew directly on McLaren's racing practice. Its monocoque and body panels were formed from carbon fiber, with aluminum used for selected components. Carbon fiber crash structures in the nose were engineered to absorb impact energy far more efficiently than steel.

Engineers mounted the hand-built AMG 5,439-cc V8 behind the front axle in a front mid-engine layout. A Lysholm-type twin-screw supercharger and two intercoolers helped it produce 617 horsepower and 575 lb-ft of torque. Power reached the rear wheels through an AMG Speedshift R five-speed automatic, and the Roadster could reach 62 mph in 3.8 seconds. A six-channel rear diffuser and a deployable rear airbrake aided stability and road holding at speed. Carbon-ceramic discs, gripped by eight-piston calipers in front and four-piston calipers behind, brought the car down from speed.

The team largely assembled the car by hand at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England, home to its Formula One operation. Roadster production ran from August 2007 to May 2009, with this example was built to United States specification. Its decoded factory build data shows it was released on 13 February 2008 and delivered on 28 February 2008. It is finished in Pure Black with a two-tone Black and 300 SL Red Silver Arrow leather interior. The red carries down to the leather binding of the floor mats, SLR logos are embossed into each headrest, and carbon-look trim runs through the cabin.

The SLR's carbon fiber bucket seats could be fitted with padding in different sizes to suit the occupant, and this car was specified with extra-large seats for both the driver and passenger. Outside, 19-inch turbine-design wheels on mixed-size tires frame red-painted brake calipers. A Gray fabric top with a cover for its folding mechanism, a CD changer, and an integrated garage door opener round out the original order.

The clean CARFAX Vehicle History Report shows the SLR was first registered in California in February 2009, then in Hawaii and Florida. In March 2025, with 7,840 miles showing, Mercedes-Benz of Miami completed a major service that flushed the coolant and transmission fluid, serviced the rear differential, and replaced the drive belts, battery, and tires. The car returned to the same dealer in April 2026 at 8,008 miles for a 360-point inspection and an oil change. Today, it shows fewer than 8,200 miles at the time of cataloging.

Just 670 Roadsters were built, and this one pairs that open body with low mileage and a U.S.-specification history. Its supercharged V8, carbon fiber construction, and racing-derived aerodynamics remain as potent today as they were in 2008. With the top folded and the side pipes at full volume, it comes remarkably close to the open Silver Arrows that inspired it.