The black and white disguise has been designed to throw us off the scent – but there’s no mistaking this car as the Mercedes SLR McLaren, with its bold headlights and large three-pointed star badge.
As you can see, the prototype – spied on UK roads – doesn’t have a roof. And this confirms that the firm is readying a special speedster version of the amazing two-seater as production comes to an end.
It’s thought 75 examples will be produced, paying homage to the silver 300 SLR driven by Stirling Moss in the Fifties. Each gets a small windscreen and no roof.
The 620bhp supercharged V8 is mated to a five-speed auto box, complete with steering wheel-mounted paddles. Engineers are said to have shaved 200kg off the SLR’s kerbweight, so it’s set to cover 0-186mph in 26 seconds and hit a 217mph top speed – 8mph faster than any previous SLR, and nearly as quick as the Bugatti Veyron. Sources say the waiting list is already filling up – even though the speedster is expected to cost 750,000 Euros.