slr speedster spy pics make me all tingly

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This isn't it - let's get that out of the way first. The ultra-exclusive, ultra-exotic, ultra-lightweight SLR McLaren ultra-speedster that *was* shown to the SLR.Club members at Paul Ricard several weeks ago still hasn't officially been shown to the unwashed masses of teeny-boppers and 40-year-old prepubescent egomaniacs who litter the online forums. THEY will have to wait ...

... but someone snapped these shots of a development mule undergoing testing, and you can clearly see the "edgier" side vents, front intakes, and updated taillights.

As soon as it's officially official, I'll post what pics I have on the flickr site (not that I have any, of course). Until then, CLICK HERE to see more pics.

722gt brochure online

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Lake Park, FL - When RENNTECH and RML announced that the fearsome Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722GT track car would be made available in the US back in December, the two companies made reference to a one-make series for the ultra-exclusive cars modeled on the SLR.Club's European SLR.UNLIMITED events.

This morning, RENNTECH posted a full PDF brochure on their 722GT mini-site that offers more details on these events while going into more details about the car itself, with some additional technical specs and exciting pictures from 722GT trackday events at the Nurburgring and Paul Ricard.

SLR.Club Trophy USA events promise 5-star accommodations and a chance for owners to drive the incredible 680 hp, 2900 lb. SLR McLaren 722GT cars at speed on some of the country's historic race tracks. Events will also include driver training from world-class drivers (and SLR.Club members) like David Coulthard and Jochen Mass, as well as "special guests" to be announced later.

The SLR.Club Trophy USA events will take place in 2009. Dates and schedules will be announced this fall. You can find the digital version of the brochure at renntechmercedes.com, or jump directly to it by clicking here: VIEW BROCHURE.

Interested parties should take note: of the 21 being built, about half have already been sold.

renntech joins slr.club

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Since 1989, RENNtech has been producing some of the most powerful and refined performance cars on the market. Recognized as one of the world's premier tuning firms and America's foremost authority on Mercedes Benz, Hartmut Feyhl (president of RENNtech and ex-technical director at AMG North America) is also an avid kart enthusiast.

It was this passion for karting that led to RENNtech's latest foray into motorsport: RENNtech Karting.

RENNtech Karting is the exclusive importer for the Aixro XR50 rotary kart engine, which RENNtech has been developing for stateside applications. The compact engine was designed as an alternative to 2 stroke shifter karts, which are being phased-out worldwide due to increasingly stringent emissions regulations. The Aixro is as green as the best racing 4-strokes, while delivering significantly more power (48 "base" hp).

"It's really an incredible design. I can't get enough of it." explains Feyhl - who, after years of getting extreme horsepower figures from Mercedes and AMG cars, isn't known for getting excited.

The Aixro rotary, however, seems to be the kind of thing everyone is getting excited about, including members of the exclusive SLR.CLUB.

The SLR.CLUB holds many of its events at the Paul Ricard circuit in France, under the heading SLR.SAFETY and SPEED ACADEMY. These 2-day events allow SLR owners to get together and culminates in a chance to drive their exotic cars at speed on the historic track. First, though, club members receive professional instruction from well-known drivers (including David Coulthard and Jochen Mass) and familiarize themselves with Paul Ricard in purpose built "SLR" kart chassis provided by Swiss-Hutless.

In the beginning, the club experimented with different 4 cycle engines, but these didn't provide the excitement or reliability SLR.CLUB members were looking for. "It was a matter of not enough speed, and too much downtime," offers Feyhl. "When they had a chance to drive the track with the rotary, they were totally hooked by the smoothness and the power."

With almost 50hp from the light, 32 lb. package - that's hardly surprising! SLR.CLUB has been running the karts through the summer, and intends to expand its SAFETY and SPEED ACADEMY events to several historic European tracks next spring.