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Considering that 90 percent of those buying these cars wont be capable of getting within 50 percent of the cars capabilities, it is pointless comparing any of them.

When I was involved with car preparation for the Ferrari challenge very few of the rich owner/drivers got anywhere near respectable lap times.

Top Gears test laps with the Stig are a bit better but even here they guess the damp, wet results for convenience. Pointless.

How many 'wunder' car laps on these German tracks are from factory set up runs with good drivers and massaged results for the media?
I know for a fact it was happening up to ten years ago.

I find myself in agreement Gyro and its Exactly the point I made a couple of months back.

Regardless of what the car does, the average owner is never going to push it to the limit. I will bet my bottom dollar that Mercedes intentionally designed the SLS to be benign on the limit.
Having had the pleasure of driving a CLK Blackseries around the Mercedes world track at brooklands(5 laps), I can safely say Mercedes can do hardcore if they wanted to.

What the market demands the market gets.

Like Clarkson said, the SLS is tail happy, too powerful, but it makes you smile and laugh and have fun the entire time you thrash it around, yet it can also be civilized and driven every day.

It's not a car about doing ultimate lap times, or be a track car. It's a car you love or hate the design of, that is fun as hell to drive, and has the most powerful naturally aspirated engine in a production car.

I would say this car has a niche, and if you don't like it, then don't buy one?

autogyro wrote:Considering that 90 percent of those buying these cars wont be capable of getting within 50 percent of the cars capabilities, it is pointless comparing any of them.

When I was involved with car preparation for the Ferrari challenge very few of the rich owner/drivers got anywhere near respectable lap times.

Top Gears test laps with the Stig are a bit better but even here they guess the damp, wet results for convenience. Pointless.

How many 'wunder' car laps on these German tracks are from factory set up runs with good drivers and massaged results for the media?
I know for a fact it was happening up to ten years ago.

I happen to know the guy who is doing the driving .He´s not a mega driver but knows Nordschleife veryy well (a felt 100 24h races..).But auto ,you damn sure got a point there .

With the Ferrari challenge -absolutely -Had an ex DTM champ (almost 60years of age) drive the car at Silverstone (where he never drove before,also he never drove before the 430) and he was giving my driver a run for his money instantly.
And some Bruno Senna was in a factory ride height celebrity car even 1second quicker...the spread in terms of laptimes was just incredible...and those were all interested,talented car nuts ....

I also once took part in a car test (with another mag )there was no special conditions ..the test driver just jumped in..gave it a quick sample and then did his laps.end of story.

I might be wrong, but isn't the Aston one-77 the most powerfully naturally aspirated car in the world, not the SLS as Clarkson said?

Either way, beholding a mammoth of car like that for this environmentally concious day and age, just a Viper with a tri-star,
is mind-boggling. When compared to MP4-12C, it's so technologically out of time it's pitiful or heartbraking. Take your pick.

ajdavison2 wrote:I might be wrong, but isn't the Aston one-77 the most powerfully naturally aspirated car in the world, not the SLS as Clarkson said?

I think a car that had only 77 built ever might he hard to call a production car but yes it was more powerful. Thanks for pointing me to that car. I was referring to currently produced cars though.

Such a pity McLaren do not have the production capabilities of Merc, then we would see relevent road cars and not over weight boy racers toys.

Mclaren and Mercedes are at the mecy of the same force, Market force.

Interesting that people still think car makers make cars to find buyers. The fact is that practice died in the 80s with mullets. Car clinics and consumer groups along with an arduous customer/manufacturer liasing process .

The bottom line is more people want this kind of Mercedes. They are the ones paying for it, and Mercedes are the ones selling it.
Personally, the SLS appears to be a user friendly supercar that can be used more frequently by the affluent.

Maybe thats what people want instead of keeping the Ferrari in the garage or trundling round the streets of monaco at 10mph losing their fillings in the process.
,
What I dont see though is Mclaren entering the 160k market and outselling Ferrari, as Mercedes are currently doing with the SLS.

But for Purposes of the thread I will agree the MP4/12 will be a far better car for the enthusiatic driver, of that I think we can all be pretty certain of.

Perhaps fact is that the majority of dreamcar-buyers simply don't know --- about their cars? Long time xpected that, ever since I learned about the Cizeta V16, the Bugatti and last but not least, the Koenigsegg CCX-R/X-whatever, the final insult.

Guess the majority of these cars end up in some rather appalling dictator's garage?

Now, now, that's no way to speak about Bernie.

These cars get bought by people with lots of money who think that affording a car is the same a being able to drive said car:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNVrMZX2kms[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjdbRsE1vhM[/youtube]

Merc et al should concentrate on making the things bounce rather than go fast...

A friend popped into the local Merc dealer last week for a service and noted that the SLS showroom price has dropped from £170k to £160k. There were 3 on display in the showroom, surely a sign of excess stock?

richard_leeds wrote:A friend popped into the local Merc dealer last week for a service and noted that the SLS showroom price has dropped from £170k to £160k. There were 3 on display in the showroom, surely a sign of excess stock?

£162 500 is and always has been the official price tag(Vat has gone up 2.5% so this figure is no closer to 168k)They could also be Demo models. And as far as the UK is concerned, I believe there is 12 months to wait for a personalised spec SLS.

Maybe the display models had options, hence the higher starting price?

Surprised to hear of 3 in stock at one dealer.