Few partnerships in the automotive world have been more fruitful than that of Mercedes-Benz and McLaren.

Mercedes-Benz had been supplying engines to McLaren in Formula One since the mid-1990s, and over the course of the following 15 years, McLaren F1 cars racked up numerous victories.

Mercedes-Benz eventually acquired 40 percent of the McLaren Group, and at this time, the two companies produced their first road car together, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

The SLR was introduced in November 2003, a time when the Ferrari Enzo was set to do battle with the Porsche Carrera GT.

Instead of creating an all-out, no-compromises supercar, Mercedes-Benz and McLaren pursued an entirely different route.

Rather than placing the engine behind the cabin, as was the standard supercar formula, the car had a front-mid-engine layout.

This not only helped to improve the SLR’s handling by giving it near-perfect weight distribution, but also gave the car a rather spacious trunk and cabin, which made it...