Mercedes-Benz Vision SLR Roadster - AllCarIndex
1999
Tokyo Motor Show 1999: Mercedes-Benz presents new models and ground-breaking innovations
With the new models and trail-blazing innovations showcased at the 33rd Tokyo Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz is providing further proof that it is the technological pacemaker among car manufacturers. In Japan, the Stuttgart vehicle manufacturer is presenting ground-breaking systems which will make driving even safer and more comfortable in the future, from the electronically controlled brake system to the dynamic route guidance system for the sprawling metropolis of Tokyo.
A taste of things to come in super sports car technology and design is provided by Mercedes-Benz with the roadster version of the Vision SLR, fresh from its premiere a few weeks ago in Frankfurt where it was the star of the show. The study echoes themes of the legendary SL and SLR racing sports cars of the fifties and combines them with styling features of today's McLaren-Mercedes Formula 1 racing car. With its soft-top made of a new, light-transmissive material, and other technical highlights like an electro-hydraulic brake system, fiber-reinforced ceramic brake discs, single-piece carbon-fiber seats, adaptive headlamp system with cornering beam and aluminum and carbon-fiber chassis components, the 410 kW/557 hp roadster study rolls out a whole new chapter in innovation
(cf. separate press kit "Mercedes-Benz Vision SLR Roadster").
CL: new top coupe with pacemaking design and engineering
Making its Japanese debut in Tokyo, the new top coupe from Mercedes-Benz, the CL, features breath-taking design, high-grade specification and state-of-the-art engineering. The standard specification of the CL includes the active suspension system Active Body Control (ABC), which is exclusive to Mercedes-Benz. ABC sharply reduces body movements when starting from rest, braking and cornering. The result is a new standard of driving dynamics, combined with higher comfort and safety than on vehicles with conventional suspension systems.
Luxury abounds, with materials like fine leather, high-grade wood and soft Alcantara (CL 600) creating an atmosphere of supreme refinement in the new coupe. The instrument panel, seats, the doors, side panels and the center console armrest are all finished as standard in leather - in the case of the CL 600 extra-soft napa. The interior woodwork comes in a choice of burl walnut or chestnut.
The long, sleek hood of the CL conceals the state-of-the-art five-liter V8 unit (225 kW/306 hp) or the new 270 kW/367 hp twelve-cylinder unit. Like the eight-cylinder engine, the V12 has technical hallmarks which include three valves per cylinder, twin-spark ignition, automatic cylinder and modern light-weight design. The CL 600 consumes 13.4 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), making it about 20 per cent more economical on fuel than the outgoing 12-cylinder coupe.
The standard safety package of the CL includes sidebags in the doors, window bags, belt-tensioners and belt force limiters on all seats and automatic child seat recognition with two-stage airbag activation for the front passenger seat.
Braking: Sensortronic Brake System points the way forward
For passenger cars of the future, Mercedes-Benz is developing a new electro-hydraulic brake system which has a significant edge in terms of safety and comfort. The Sensortronic Brake System (SBS), which will be ready to go into production in a few years' time, uses the sensors of the anti-lock braking system (ABS) and Electronic Stability Program (ESP) to apportion braking power optimally in accordance with the current driving situation. The micro-computer uses the sensor inputs to ascertain, for example, whether the vehicle is cornering or threatening to skid out of control due to a lack of grip on one side of the road. It then calculates the optimal pressure to brake each individual wheel. The braking process is controlled by a central hydraulic unit which replaces the brake booster. With the aid of a high-pressure accumulator and electronically adjustable valves, the maximum braking pressure is very rapidly available in an emergency so that the stopping distance is reduced by several meters compared with conventional brake systems. Also, in the interests of comfort, extremely sensitive modulation of the brake force is possible.
ITGS: individual route guidance based on up-to-date traffic information
For the sprawling metropolis of Tokyo, DaimlerChrysler Services (debis) has introduced into service the world's most comprehensive individual urban route guidance system. The "Intelligent Traffic Guidance System - ITGS" navigates Mercedes customers through the streets of Tokyo with recommended routes based on the very latest traffic information. Traffic data obtained by the police from some 14,000 sensors and several hundred cameras stationed at strategic points in the road network is evaluated in some 120 computers and then processed for the individual ITGS user. Software supplied by the DaimlerChrysler transport researchers calculates the best possible route to navigate the individual driver through the city based on this up-to-date information. ITGS can also calculate arrival times and can supply a range of other information such as weather forecasts, information about parking availability or the departure times of Japan's high-speed trains.
The automatic emergency call system which has been operational in Germany and the USA for some months is now also available to Japanese Mercedes customers. Under the name E-Call, Mercedes-Benz is offering in Japan a system which automatically emits a distress signal via the mobile phone network if the vehicle suffers a serious accident. The rescue services can them establish the exact location of the crashed vehicle and reach the scene as quickly as possible.
Frankfurt Motor Show: Mercedes-Benz presents roadster study for the Vision SLR
For the past few months, a mere three letters have been enough to quicken the pulse of motor enthusiasts the world over: SLR.
In the wake of the presentation of the Vision SLR super sports car in Detroit in January of this year, and the decision to go into volume production with this fascinating vehicle, the letters SLR have become synonymous with design and engineering excellence - an unparalleled synthesis of aesthetics and cutting-edge technology which has provided the industry with a fresh stimulus for future sports car development.
Mercedes-Benz has now provided a new adrenaline boost: the Frankfurt Motor Show will see the world premiere of a topless version of this high-performance sports car of the future. Its name: the Vision SLR Roadster.
This two-seater combines the state-of-the-art technology of the SLR coupe with the unique driving enjoyment of a Mercedes roadster. The long hood, the powerful sweep of the fenders and the striking gull-wing doors echo the hallmarks of the high-performance sports cars of the fifties, which have long since achieved legendary status. In the Vision SLR roadster, such time-honored attributes harmonize with the modern design elements of the Mercedes-Benz marque and the Silver Arrow currently used on the Formula 1 circuit.
The body hides systems and components which Mercedes-Benz, pacemaker in technology, is now presenting for the very first time: ceramic brake disks, carbon-fiber chassis components and seats, an adaptive headlight system with cornering beam, and the electronically controlled Sensortronic Brake System.
Powerful acceleration is delivered by a 410 kW/557 hp V8 engine which, true to the style of the legendary Mercedes sports cars, is charged by a compressor. This guarantees superlative driving performance - 0 to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds, 0 to 200 km/h in 11.3 seconds, and a top speed of 320 km/h.
