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The fastest road car ever: the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, the fastest production road car to ever be built by Mercedes-Benz, has finally broken cover in South Africa. Stephen Williams has the story.

Article Excerpt
It was one of the most eagerly awaited test drive opportunities of 2003, but when Mercedes-Benz finally decided that their new sports supercar was ready to be unveiled to a carefully selected group of journalists, the location they chose was South Africa's Cape peninsular.

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Never mind that the very few cars that had been produced were all left-hand drive, and South Africa is a right-hand drive country, the choice of location made a lot of sense. Not only could the Mercedes rely on the strong logistical backup of its South African subsidiary; but also, while Europe was entering its winter months, the weather in South Africa would be ideal. After some fast motorway stretches leaving Cape Town, most of the roads are two-lane blacktops passing through the Cape National Park's stunning scenery. Juxtaposed with the ocean, the sparse and rugged backdrop would provide perfect photographic locations to show the new car in its best light, and the roads an excellent means of demonstrating the car's performance.

If the new Mercedes-Benz is going to sell to South African customers any of the 3,200 cars they plan to produce, then there's a good chance they'll go to homes on the Cape peninsular where can...

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