Mercedes building super-sports car without McLaren

[Plex]

Mercedes-Benz will team up with its official DTM partner, HWA AG, to co-develop and build its new super-sports car as well as several other high-end performance models. The luxury brand is reportedly disappointed by the performance of its SLR McLaren when compared against its main rivals, and this is said to be a key reason why it sought a new partner to develop its latest sports car, reports Automotive News Europe.

In steps HWA. The motorsports company was formed by Hans-Werner Aufrecht in 1967, one of the founders of AMG, and is best known for its HWA Racing team, which competes in the German touring car series with the CLK-DTM.

The new model will be a race car built for the road and is likely to be powered by a higher performance version of the hand-built 6.2L V8 engine from AMG. To make it road-legal, the car will be officially sold under the Mercedes AMG label, but it will remain a genuine HWA race-developed product. Expect to see a concept version at next year�s Geneva Motor Show.

HWA will also be investing �4.5 million to expand its manufacturing facilities, which will see its current plant extend from 1,200 to 3,600 square meters. HWA spokesman Hans J�rgen Matheis revealed to The Insider that the motorsports company always had the ambition to prove to Mercedes that it could build a better road-car than McLaren, and now it finally gets its chance.

McLaren fans shouldn�t be completely disappointed. Substantial cash flows from its successful F1 team and the freeing up of resources from this latest announcement could eventually pave the way for the development of a successor to the original McLaren F1.

Motorauthority