2007 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster (R199)

General information & model overview

Category	Specification Details
Model name	2007 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster
Internal code	R199
Manufacturers	Mercedes-Benz / AMG; assembly at McLaren Technology Centre, Woking
Sales introduction	On sale from September 2007 (following earlier show and preview exposure)
Production window	Roadster programme ran into early 2009; family SLR production overall continued with remaining coupés and the Stirling Moss into late 2009–2010
Body style	Two-door, two-seat roadster with fabric soft top and butterfly doors
Layout	Front mid-engine, rear-wheel drive
Powertrain (base roadster)	Same 626 PS / 780 Nm M155 SLR supercharged V8 as the base coupé
Closed counterpart	SLR McLaren coupé (C199)
Related higher-output open cars	Roadster 722 S (limited); Stirling Moss speedster (Z199) is open but roof-less and a different body concept

Body & dimensions

Specification	Details
Wheelbase	2,700 mm (106.3 in)
Overall length / width	4,656 mm / 1,909 mm class (shared SLR proportions)
Roof type	Fabric soft top — not a folding metal hardtop; manual unlatch then about 10-second electric stow
Structural theme	CFRP structure with reinforcements for open-body stiffness versus the closed C199
Curb weight (approximate)	About 1,791.5 kg (3,950 lb) class — heavier than the closed base coupé
Doors	Butterfly doors retained from the coupé architecture
Seating	Two seats
Open-air claim (period)	Mercedes documentation of the era claimed cabin conversation remained practical up to about 200 km/h with the roof down, reflecting wind management work

Engine specifications

Theme	Details
Engine	M155 SLR 5.4-litre supercharged V8 (base roadster tune)
Displacement	5,439 cc
Peak power	460 kW / 626 PS (617 hp) at 6,500 rpm
Peak torque	780 Nm (575 lb-ft) across the broad supercharged mid-range
Architecture	All-aluminium, SOHC three-valve, dry sump, Lysholm twin-screw supercharger with dual intercoolers
Higher-output open note	Limited Roadster 722 S used the 650 PS / 820 Nm calibration; that is a separate limited run from the base R199 roadster covered here

Drivetrain & transmission

Category	Details
Gearbox	AMG SPEEDSHIFT R five-speed automatic with manual modes
Drive	Rear-wheel drive
Shared hardware theme	Same fundamental powertrain architecture as the base C199 coupé

Chassis, suspension & brakes

Component	Specification
Chassis task	Open body requires additional stiffness measures versus the coupé; mass increases as a result
Brakes	Carbon-ceramic discs with Sensotronic Brake Control family systems as on the closed car
Aerodynamics	Active rear air-brake spoiler retained; open-cabin aero and wind management differ from the coupé
Exhaust	Side-exit exhausts retained — still a packaging consequence of underbody aero

Performance (approximate)

Metric	Approximate data
0–100 km/h	About 3.6–3.8 seconds class depending on source documentation for the roadster
Top speed	About 334 km/h (208 mph)
Versus coupé	Extra mass and open-body aero/structure slightly change the absolute numbers; power is the same 626 PS base tune
Roof operation	About 10 seconds to stow electrically after manual unlatch

What the SLR McLaren Roadster is

The 2007 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster (R199) is the open factory body of the SLR programme: the same supercharged 5.4-litre M155 at 626 PS and 780 Nm as the base coupé, the same five-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT R, the same butterfly doors and side exhausts, but with a fabric soft top and the structural mass that an open carbon grand tourer requires. It is not a speedster. It keeps a full windscreen, side glass, and a proper folding roof. That places it between the closed C199 and the later roof-less Stirling Moss in the open-air hierarchy of the family.

Mercedes positioned the roadster against other ultra-expensive open sports cars of the late 2000s. Buyers gained sky and sound; they paid with weight, price, and a shorter production window than the coupé.

Open-body engineering on a carbon GT

Removing a fixed roof from a high-speed carbon structure is never free. McLaren and Mercedes had to restore torsional stiffness with local reinforcements while keeping the butterfly-door architecture and the long front mid-engine package. The result is a curb weight near 1.79 tonnes — roughly 30–50 kg above many closed base-car figures depending on the comparison baseline. That mass shows in ride and direction-change response more than in straight-line acceleration, which remains extremely strong with 626 PS.

1. Fabric roof, not a metal folding hardtop

Unlike contemporary SL models with multi-piece metal folding roofs, the SLR Roadster uses a fabric top of period “newly developed” material language. After a manual unlatch, electric motors stow the roof in about ten seconds. The choice saves complexity and some mass relative to a heavy metal stack, and it suits the car’s sports-luxury image. Weather sealing and fabric condition become ownership inspection points years later.

2. Wind management

Period Mercedes material claimed that driver and passenger could still converse at about 200 km/h with the roof down. That claim is less about absolute silence and more about the effort put into wind deflectors, header geometry, and cabin shape. At motorway speeds the supercharged V8 and side exhausts dominate the soundscape when the driver opens the throttle; at steady cruise the cabin is usable as a grand-touring open car rather than a pure race speedster.

3. Butterfly doors on an open car

Butterfly doors remain. They still need vertical clearance and careful operation in car parks. Open-body A-pillar and scuttle structure must support both door loads and crash requirements without a roof rail tying the upper body together. That structural problem is the core engineering difference between R199 and C199.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Powertrain: base SLR output in open form

The base roadster does not raise power above the closed car. It uses the same 626 PS / 780 Nm M155 supercharged V8 and the same SPEEDSHIFT R five-speed automatic. Acceleration to 100 km/h remains in the mid-3-second class; top speed is documented near 334 km/h. The open car therefore delivers the same fundamental powertrain character as the base coupé — immediate supercharged torque, long gearing, automatic shifts — with more wind and exhaust presence when the roof is down.

Drivers who want the 650 PS open experience looked to the limited Roadster 722 S, which paired open bodywork with 722-class calibration and chassis themes. That limited open car is adjacent history; this encyclopedia entry focuses on the main R199 roadster with base power. The 722 Edition coupé remains the closed reference for the 650 PS road package.

1. Sound and theatre

Side exhausts and a supercharger already make the closed SLR vocal. With the roof stowed, intake, blower, and exhaust noise fill the cabin more completely. That is a large part of the roadster’s appeal for owners who use the car as a fair-weather event machine rather than a daily coupé substitute.

2. Transmission behaviour

The five-speed automatic is unchanged in concept. Manual modes and steering-wheel controls still allow driver involvement. Shift speed is not dual-clutch quick; durability under high torque remains the design priority, as on the coupé.

3. Brakes

Carbon-ceramic discs and SBC remain specialist systems. Open-car use does not simplify brake service; if anything, higher event-day heat cycles and storage between uses make fluid condition and ceramic temperature behaviour worth monitoring.

Market role and production span

The roadster arrived years after the coupé, when the SLR programme was already mature and annual volumes were below early ambitions. It extended the range for buyers who wanted open-air presence without waiting for the later Stirling Moss. Production of the roadster wound down in early 2009 as Mercedes closed the partnership programme; the Stirling Moss then used the final open chapter for existing SLR clients in a different body language.

Within the overall family total of about 2,157 cars, roadsters form a minority. Exact open/closed splits vary by source; for practical research, treat the roadster as the scarcer open soft-top counterpart to the more numerous closed C199.

Ownership notes for the R199 Roadster

1. Roof system

Inspect fabric condition, rear window clarity, latch mechanisms, electric motors, and drainage paths. A neglected soft top is both a cost and a water-ingress risk into a complex composite body.

2. Structure and rattles

Open cars show scuttle shake and trim noise more readily than closed ones if alignment or bushings are off. Test on broken surfaces with the roof both up and down.

3. Shared SLR systems

Engine, transmission, ceramics, SBC, and CFRP repair rules match the base coupé. Service history at SLR-capable specialists remains the primary ownership filter.

4. Versus Stirling Moss

Do not confuse a fabric-roof roadster with the Z199 speedster. The Stirling Moss has no roof or windscreen, uses 650 PS, was limited to 75 cars, and was offered only to existing SLR owners. Values, usability, and documentation differ completely.

Legacy

The SLR McLaren Roadster is the proper open grand-touring expression of the Mercedes–McLaren partnership: butterfly doors, supercharged 626 PS V8, fabric roof, and Woking carbon construction. It is heavier and rarer than the base coupé, more usable day-to-day than the Stirling Moss speedster, and part of the reason the SLR family spans closed, open, and ultra-limited open extremes.

Durable facts for the base R199: 626 PS / 780 Nm M155, five-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT R, about 334 km/h top speed, roughly 1.79-tonne curb weight, ~10-second fabric roof, September 2007 sales start, and programme wind-down before the final Stirling Moss chapter. Later AMG open sports cars such as the SLS AMG Roadster would take a different technical path with a dual-clutch transaxle and a naturally aspirated V8; the SLR Roadster remains the open car of the supercharged McLaren partnership era.