It has been more than a decade since Mercedes-Benz stopped producing the venerable SLR McLaren, but the supercharged V8 coupe has never left any hearts.
Case in point: Georgi Bozhkov, who imagines another SLR McLaren concept and posted unofficial renderings via his Behance page. While his previous work from last year showed us a modern version of Mercedes-dominated design, Bozhkov’s latest version in the front-engine supercar leans more towards the McLaren side of things – and has its engine positioned behind the seats. Take a look at the images below to see what we mean.
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The rendering above shows the obvious – Bozhkov incorporated McLaren’s design language into a front engine layout (or so we think). You can see the typical McLaren style on the front panel and headlights, while the roof shell, which is available for production Macs via MSO and Senna, has been added. This is our first clue that the engine in this rendering is at the rear, despite the shape of the long-short hood.
On the other hand, we cannot deny that there is a Dodge Viper vibe going on there, but it would be difficult to miss the characteristic slats of the front fenders, reminiscent of the original McLaren SLR. There are also three-pointed star badges above the blades, which are probably the only Mercedes thing in this car.
At the rear, further confirmation of a rear engine layout can be seen on the engine cover and exhaust pipes positioned at the top of the tail. This is a characteristic configuration of McLaren, with the exhaust vents close to the engine to shorten the piping, ergo, keeping the overall weight of the vehicle low.
If all this form of rear engine with long hood doesn’t make sense to you, don’t worry, as this is just an invention of the imagination. But waiting for a McLaren SLR to return is not a bad thing, so here it is.