DaimlerChrysler is currently launching this ultimate super car in Cape Town using the upmarket Cape Grace hotel in the V&A Waterfront as its base.
The world launch, which started earlier this week, will only finish early December.
In this period about 175 motoring journalists from 45 countries will visit Cape Town to drive the SLR. They will be flown in as separate small groups.
They will be driving some of the most scenic routes in Cape Town and will visit Cape Point, Hermanus and Franschhoek.
Under the bonnet
The R4-million McLaren SLR is developed by AMG-Mercedes.
This muscle machine has a 5.5-litre V8 engine with a screw-type supercharger to extract no less than 460 kW at 6 500 r/min, together with 780 Nm of torque over a flat plateau from 3 250 r/min to 5 000 r/min.
Amazingly for a car of this type, it is fitted with a 5-speed automatic gearbox specially adapted to suit the engine, complete with AMG's super-crisp pushbutton steering wheel-mounted gearshift.
With this much power under the bonnet, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren's performance figures are among the best in its class: