The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss was designed to be driven with a helmet and nothing between its occupants and the sky. Digital artist Vladimir Loktionov has now imagined the exact opposite:
A closed-roof Stirling Moss with a gorgeous red cabin, and the result looks surprisingly natural.
Let’s get one important detail out of the way: this car doesn’t exist. It’s an unofficial digital concept, but arguably one of those renders that makes you wonder why Mercedes never explored the idea.
The real SLR McLaren Stirling Moss, introduced in 2009, was deliberately extreme. Mercedes removed the roof and windscreen, replacing them with tiny wind deflectors and roll hoops. Only 75 examples were produced, powered by a 5.5-liter supercharged V8 developing around 650 hp, with a top speed of roughly 350 km/h.
Loktionov’s interpretation doesn’t radically redesign that body. Instead, it changes its architecture. A flowing fixed roof now stretches from the windscreen into the muscular rear haunches, creating a compact glasshouse positioned far behind the front axle.
The Stirling Moss already had almost cartoonishly dramatic proportions: an impossibly long hood, tiny passenger compartment and huge rear shoulders. Adding a roof emphasizes that cab-rearward stance rather than hiding it. From the rear three-quarter angle, there’s even something slightly 300 SL meets modern coachbuilt GT about the silhouette.
The silver bodywork also contrasts beautifully with the deep-red leather interior, visible through the large side glass. Meanwhile, the distinctive side exhaust outlets, sculpted front fenders and arrow-shaped nose remain untouched. Instead of a raw speedster, it suddenly feels like an exotic long-distance grand tourer.
There is an interesting irony here. The absence of a roof was precisely what made the original Stirling Moss special. Adding one removes some of its insanity, but visually it arguably makes the design feel more complete.
via autonext