For Sale at Auction: 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLR in Las Vegas, Nevada

Chassis No. WDDAK76F09M001924

Shortly before half past five on the afternoon of 1st May 1955, Brescia erupted. The Italian crowd, a people for whom the automobile is less a machine than a birthright, rose alongside the international motoring press of the day to salute a British crew in a German car: the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR of Stirling Moss and his navigator, Denis Jenkinson. The pair had set off at 7:22 that morning, the time immortalized in the 722 painted on their flanks. Ahead of them lay the Mille Miglia, a thousand miles of open public road from Brescia to Rome and back. They returned in ten hours, seven minutes, and forty-eight seconds. No one would beat that time in the race's three decades, and it remains the defining feat of one of the most storied races in motorsport history.

Nearly half a century later, the three-pointed star once again entrusted its legend to British hands. Unveiled at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show and joined by a roadster in 2007, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren revived the three letters that had made history: Sport Leicht Rennsport-for Sport Light Racing. Its form summoned the original Silver Arrows, from the long, sweeping silhouette to the dramatic side air intakes and signature side-exit exhausts. Its arrow-shaped nose, borrowed from McLaren's contemporary MP4 Formula One cars and framed by a distinctive twin front spoiler, drew directly on contemporary Grand Prix design.

Yet the SLR was far more than a homage in name and silhouette. Forged in the partnership between Mercedes-Benz and its Formula One collaborator, McLaren, it inaugurated an entirely new super sports car segment. Where a conventional chassis is made of steel, the SLR's was built entirely from carbon fiber and aluminum, making it up to 40 percent lighter. Set well behind the front axle, in a front mid-engine layout, sat a hand-assembled 5.4-liter supercharged V8 with dry-sump lubrication. Its Lysholm-type twin-screw compressor whirled at up to 23,000 rpm, forcing as much as 0.9 bar of boost through twin intercoolers to unleash more than 600 horsepower. The airflow was managed with equal precision. A six-channel rear diffuser worked in concert with an active air brake that rose through six positions to keep the car planted at speed. To rein in all that force, massive eight-piston calipers gripped the front brakes, with four-piston units at the rear. The result was nothing less than a land-bound cruise missile, built for the autobahn.

Of the 670 SLR McLaren Roadsters built, few can claim a history as clear or a specification as considered as this one. Imported to the United States in November 2008 and delivered new through Mercedes-Benz of North Olmsted, Ohio, it was special-ordered in Arctic White over Silver Arrow Tobacco Brown leather, beneath a beige soft top, a combination as distinctive as harmonious, rarely-if ever-seen on the SLR. Optional silver brake calipers, framed by the nine-spoke turbine wheels the car now wears, add a discreet touch of sharpness.

In nearly two decades on the road, this SLR has covered only 9,141 miles. A clean CARFAX Report confirms a consistent mileage history, and the car has benefited from regular servicing throughout its life, carried out exclusively by official and authorized Mercedes-Benz dealers across the United States.

Its first recorded visit was to official Mercedes dealer RBM of Atlanta at 3,224 miles in 2011, followed by Mercedes-Benz of Beverly Hills, California, at 6,668 miles in 2013. Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables, Florida, attended to the car at 8,053 miles in 2015, and again on several occasions in 2016, some 500 miles later. Driven only sparingly in the years that followed, the SLR was next serviced by Mercedes-Benz of Austin, Texas, at 8,852 miles in 2021 and, most recently, by Rallye Motors of Long Island, New York, in 2026.

This major engine-out service, carried out by the authorized dealership in October in preparation for the sale, cost $45,000. The work included resealing the valve covers; replacing the engine belts, filters, and fluids; servicing the transmission; replacing all underbody panel hardware and wheel lug nuts; and renewing the ignition components, battery, and door struts. The floor mats were also replaced, and four new Michelin tires were fitted. In addition, at Cap's Audio Center, a Pioneer NEX 3500 head unit and a Ryden backup camera were installed, along with the associated finishing work; among other recent attention.

This SLR McLaren Roadster is rare by any measure. Rarer still is an example finished in a combination as singular as Arctic White over Silver Arrow Tobacco Brown, driven so sparingly, and maintained so faithfully within the Mercedes-Benz network. With the top lowered, it recalls the open-cockpit 300 SLR, pairing open-air driving with the sound of its supercharged V8. Yet it remains a refined grand tourer, as suited to long journeys as weekend drives.