Wheels24.co.za | Drag race: Mercedes SLR McLaren vs Ferrari GTC4 vs Aston Martin DBS

Drag race: Mercedes SLR McLaren vs Ferrari GTC4 vs Aston Martin DBS

2020-07-22 12:15

Sean Parker

Supercar drag race. Image: Youtube

• The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren was launched in 2003, a joint development between Mercedes and McLaren.

• The SLR was created to pay homage to the 1955 300 SLR. 

• Watch the 2000s supercar take on the Ferrari GTC4 Lusso and the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera.

Before the age of social media, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren was launched to the world's motoring fraternity in Cape Town. 

The lucky Capetonians who spotted the jointly-developed supercar must've told their partners, friends, and children when returning home, but there was no virality surrounding it. 

In case you're too young to know what the SLR is about, Mercedes owned 40% of the company in the early 2000s and the 'Sport Leicht Rennsport' pays homage to the 1955 300 SLR. 

The SLR, as it was known, is powered by a 5.5-litre supercharged V8 engine with 460kW and 780Nm. Unbelievably it used a five-speed automatic gearbox and weighed 1768kg. 

It featured carbon ceramic brakes and active aerodynamics. Its performance figures were nothing to be sniffed at, with motoring publications reporting sprint times from 0 to 100km/h around 3.8 seconds. 

Top speed is claimed at a lofty 334km/h. It was also a big favourite in the video game Need for Speed: Most Wanted. 

The SLR is featured in Carwow's latest drag race and lines up against the Ferrari GT4C and the Aston Martin DBS. 

The Italian is a four-seat grand tourer and powered by a massive 6.3-litre V12 engine with 507kW and 697Nm. It boasts a 0-100km/h sprint time of 3.4 seconds. 

The Aston Martin DBS Superleggera is another V12-powered grand tourer, it has two turbos slapped onto its 5.2-litre engine with 533kW and 900Nm.

Zero to 100km/h is claimed to take just 3.4 seconds and it tops out at 340km/h. All these numbers have made us keen to see which supercar will win this race. 

Yes, the SLR may be considered a bit of a classic but it will be interesting to see how it performs against the modern toys. 

Carwow says: "The legendary Mercedes SLR McLaren, and he's lining up against the Ferrari GTC4 Lusso and the Aston Martin DBS! Combined, these incredible machines put down over 1491kW!