Looking For An Autobahn
If you’ re Mercedes-Benz, creating a "halo" model, especially a sports car, is a daunting task. After all, your SL roadsters are available in performance levels that top out at the near-$200,000 SL65 AMG with its 604-horsepower V-12 engine. And if you’ re on a shopping spree with that kind of disposable income, you can also choose from the Aston Martin DB9 Volante or Ferrari’ s F430 roadster.

So Mercedes took a different path and teamed up with its Formula One racecar builder to create a truly outlandish exotic, even-more-desirable-than-the-top-of-line SL. Although the SL65 is fast, since it weighs in at a corpulent 4,555 pounds, it’ s not really quick on its feet.

But if you build an SLR out of aluminum and carbon fiber, you can knock the weight down to 3,850 pounds. Now the 617 -horses will propel this luxury roadster from 0 to 60 in just north of three seconds, or about the time it takes you to say, "oh my goodness."

The lighter weight also helps the stopping effort, but the team of Mercedes and McLaren engineers wanted brakes as outrageous as the speed potential, so carbon fiber/ceramic racing brakes are fitted on all four corners. They are amazingly quiet and progressive for this design and they’ ll stop this rocket at a 1.3-G force. Best to be well belted if you choose to test this theory.

So what’ s it like to drive a $500,000 supercar? About as much fun as you might expect, and then some. Since we were on Southern California roads and I don’ t like the idea of wearing a bright orange jump suit, I did not test the top speed potential. But even entering and starting the SLR is a hoot.

To enter, a push on the subtle door release deploys the clamshell door up and forward, not unlike Lamborghini models and modified import street fighters. Women enter either with slacks or at their own risk.

Once inside, you flip up a missile launch-like cover on top of the gearshift and press the start button. I did just that in front of an admiring crowd on Rodeo Drive and they were nearly overcome with delight. And when the 617-horsepower engine wakes up, it growls through side pipes like an annoyed grizzly bear after a long hibernation.

When you get underway, the side exhaust has a bit of flatulent tone at mid throttle, not unlike other cars with side pipes. However at full throttle, the sound seems to beckon the end of time. I tried this phenomenon through a tunnel on Muholland Drive and the roar was so menacing,I worried that the tunnel might collapse from sheer terror.

If you’ re tooling around town with the doors closed, don’ t expect jaw-dropping attention from non-enthusiasts. They’ ll assume you’ re driving a perfectly nice SL, perhaps a newer model than the one their rich aunt Maude drives.

But car buffs will know from three blocks away and follow you like a lost puppy. Pedestrians will love the entrance and take off. And you’ ll be secure in the fact that your hand-built two-passenger roadster is worth more than a Maybach or Rolls Royce. And a whole lot quicker. — Brian Douglas

Specifications

Type: Front engine, rear-wheel drive

Engine: 5.5-liter, DOHC V8

Horsepower: 617 @ 6,500 rpm

Torque: 575 foot-pounds @ 3,250 rpm

Base Price: $495,200

As Tested: $509,250

Fuel Economy: 12 city 16 hwy


Polo Pride
The San Diego Polo Club has one of the longest playing seasons in the country, with matches presented to the public every Sunday from May through October. Guests can watch some of the world’ s finest players and horses in the sport, and pre-game festivities include picnics, tailgating, polo demonstrations, children’ s activities, and complete food and beverage service. On Sunday, July 6, Spots ’ N Stripes will be the featured half-time show, complete with zebras and miniature horses for the designer petting zoo so that guests can see what the ranch does with zorses and zonkeys. San Diego Polo Club is donating half the proceeds of each general admission ticket to the ranch. Tickets can be purchased at the San Diego Polo Club in advance by mentioning Spots ’ N Stripes. For the complete polo season schedule please check the Web site. (858/481-9217, www.sandiegopolo.com) — Jane Shiomi

All Hail The Emperor
Kids do go nutty for their computer games, and this new chair, The Emperor from Novel Quest, is sure to keep them from seeing sunlight for days on end. But then can you blame them? It’ s not everyday you get to fight a dragon strapped in something like this. Available in the fall, The Emperor has three large monitors for a panoramic view, THX Dolby surround sound, air filtering, light therapy, a Web cam, and lots of other little additions. It can be built to order with a desktop Mac or PC, as well as docking stations for laptops. You might think the name comes from the chair’ s space age design that looks like it was ripped right out of the emperor’ s throne room of the Death Star, but not so. The name is taken from the emperor scorpion, because the "tail" of the chair (the arm holding the computer screens) rises up and down at the press of a button to allow users to get in. Pricing will be announcead at the end of this month. You can get additional information on the company’ s Web site. (www.novelquest.com)


Solar Flair
The new tech-friendly SOLo table from Intelligent Forms comes embedded with solar panels and a place to plug in your laptop so you’ ll never whine about a dead battery. It’ s perfect for placement near a window, under a skylight, or even on the patio near the pool — pretty much any place the sun can hit it. All that solar energy gets stored until you use it and according to the site if you leave it for a year in a typical outdoor setting it has enough juice to charge your cellphone about 6,800 times or a laptop 168 times. It includes several types of input jacks, such as USB ports, so you can use it for iPods, digital cameras, portable gaming devices, and a host of other gadgets. What really makes it cool, though, is that the surface contains tiny solar-powered LED_lights, so after it’ s been sitting in the sun you can fire up the table top and have your own illuminated desk to work on. $14,000. (www.intelligentforms.net)


Here’ s The Deal
We all have that one friend who keeps an ace up his sleeve whenever he plays a friendly game of poker, right? The guy who suddenly has five of a kind on the table and no explanation why. Okay, I admit, it’ s me...I_watched too many Clint Eastwood movies growing up. But if you want to keep it all fair, and have a true Vegas gaming experience, pick up the new luxury X10 Automated Poker Table from Play Hard Gaming. The X10 comes with a set of ten 12-inch touchscreens, one for each player, and features a larger touchscreen in the center of the table that controls the game and deals out the "cards." Players can flip, pitch, and hide their cards merely by tapping the screen animations in front of them. The table sells for $29,950. The company’ s site also offers a Heads Up version (one on one, in other words) for around $9,000. Whichever you choose, it’ ll be the talk of your next Casino Night party. (www.playhardgaming.com)
— Ryan Thomas
 
 


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