Legendary racing driver Stirling Moss is no longer with us, but a limited edition supercar named after him should last for decades, and you could soon own one.
A Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss is set to go under the hammer at an RM Sotheby’s auction running from January 31 to February 8 in Paris.
The car, VIN WDD1999761M900055, is one of 75 examples of the wild runabout that was briefly built in 2009 and is listed as showing just 150 kilometers (about 93 miles) on the odometer. The car was originally delivered in Germany and has been with the same owner the whole time.
It features the hero colors of the SLR McLaren Stirling Moss: a metallic silver exterior combined with a black and red interior. The color scheme is similar to that of the 300 SLR driven by Moss and co-driver Denis Jenkinson to victory in the 1955 Mille Miglia.
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss – Copyright: RM Sotheby’s
As the name suggests, the SLR McLaren Stirling Moss is based on the Mercedes SLR McLaren supercar. It was the last example of the supercar built by McLaren (Mercedes was McLaren’s partner in F1 at the time) and was around 440 pounds lighter than the production version due to its unique Speedster body and increased use of carbon fiber in the construction.
Powering the car is a turbocharged 5.5-liter V-8 engine mounted in a forward midship position that produces 650 horsepower, or enough for 0 to 62 mph acceleration in 3.5 seconds and a Top speed of almost 220 miles per hour.
Because of the Speedster body, even driving at highway speeds does more harm than just mess your hair, even with the little wind deflector mounted in front of the driver’s seat. This means that any reasonable ride in the SLR McLaren Stirling Moss requires occupants to wear a helmet.
RM Sotheby’s estimates the final bid at 3 to 4 million euros (about $3.26 to $4.35 million). Another example with the same exterior and interior color combination was auctioned by RM Sotheby’s in 2020 but failed to sell after the final bid reached 1.4 million euros ($1.52 million).