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The Mercedes SL GTR transcends mechanical design, enters the realm of the living

There are three things we like here at the Digital Trend Cars section: tech, power, and design. And while most things fire on at least one of those cylinders, few fire on all three. This car does, however.

It’s called the Mercedes-Benz SL GTR and we think it’s absolutely brilliant.

From the mind of Mark Holster, the slippery AMG is powered by a – of all things – Nissan derived 5.5-liter V8 ripped from the frame rails of the Nissan GTR GT1 racecar.

The rest, however, is all AMG. It has a racecar chassis, race suspension, and five-spoke magnesium wheels backed by carbon-ceramic brakes at all four corners.

The body – as you might be able to tell – was penned to look as if it had been shrink-wrapped over the mechanical components. To us, it looks like a living form. It doesn’t look like a husk containing clump mechanical components but rather a living, very angry-looking creature.

Yes, the car is only a rendering and doesn’t really exist, but that doesn’t matter. It’s a thing of beauty, a thing worthy of daydreams – and we like that.

If it had been up to us to spec the lustrous life form, we would have fitted it with tech taken from the 2014 Mercedes Formula 1 car: hybrid components and an ear-piercing 1.6-liter V6, which you can hear for yourself in the video below.

Imagine if the Mercedes brass were brash enough to shoehorn their F1 tech into a road-going car to take on the likes of the Ferrari LaFerrari and McLaren P1 fame? It would be an incredible car for sure.

If they did build such a motorway monster, I’d hope they’d use the bodywork from Mr. Holster.

(Images and video courtesy of Mark Hostler)

Nick Jaynes
Former Automotive Editor
Nick Jaynes is the Automotive Editor for Digital Trends. He developed a passion for writing about cars working his way…
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