The McLaren looked like a concept car brought into production. Nobody expected to look so similar to the 2004 prototype that was shown at the North American International Auto Show. The series model was introduced in late 2002 and looked very similar to the concept car. The McLaren SLR was built using Formula 1 technology such as carbon-fiber underbody safety systems, special aluminum alloys, and active aerodynamic systems. Then, the roadster showed up in 2007. The roadster version featured the same front and rear end, but a different cockpit. Its soft-top was retractable in 10 seconds, but it needed manual unlatching. It lost some of the structural rigidity, but it gained in the look department. It was a true roadster with the pedigree taken from the glorious Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR from 1955. To climb inside the car, the door was opened upwards. The side sill was wide, like the one in the 300 SLR Gullwing. The interior featured a combination of aluminum, carbon-fiber, and leather. The start-button was under a cover on top of the gearshift lever, like in a fighter-jet. Under the hood, there was the same 5.5-liter supercharged V8 engine. It was mated to the 5G-Tronic gearbox, but fitted with different software and badged as an AMG Speedshift R gearbox.