2009 McLaren SLR Stirling Moss Bound for Detroit

With several automakers having opted to pull out of the Detroit Auto Show next month, Mercedes-Benz's announcement that it will unveil the 2009 McLaren SLR Stirling Moss at the show could not have been more timely. Set to be one of the show's top drawers, the roofless variant of this SLR is the last model to roll out under the Mercedes-McLaren partnership. Named after the legendary British racecar driver who bagged his first F1 Grand Prix title driving a Mercedes-Benz and set a record time in the 1955 Mille Miglia race in a 300 SLR, the Stirling Moss roadster hides a 650-hp supercharged 5.5-liter V8 and five-speed automatic transmission borrowed from its SLR 722 cousin. It accomplishes a 0-62mph burst in 3.5 seconds, and top speed is pegged at 217 mph. Fully clad in carbon fiber, the topless roadster also features gullwing doors and a two-piece tonneau cover for the cockpit carefully stowed away in the trunk, just in case the lung-bursting acceleration is too much to take for your well-coiffed hairdo. Only 75 of these roadsters would be built, and each would command 750,000 euros (or US$1.07 million). All pictures are taken from Autoblog Mercedes-Benz