Michael Jordan's Former Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition Can Now Be Yours

2 months, 2 weeks ago - 1 September 2024, autoevolution

Michael Jordan's Former Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition Can Now Be Yours

The basketball player most of us associate with the Chicago Bulls (and vice versa) has a sweet collection of cars that changes pretty much constantly. A handful of those incredibly expensive automobiles were shown briefly in The Last Dance, but alas, the 10-part documentary about Jordan's final season with the Chicago Bulls didn't feature the supercharged V8 thriller we just came across.

Enter this 1-of-150 SLR McLaren 722 Edition, a 2007 model with merely 15,148 miles (24,378 kilometers) on the clock as of the moment of reporting. Offered for sale by TBFTFW, chassis number 001323 is a 2007 model purchased new by Jordan back in 2007.

Finished in Crystal Antimony Grey, the car originally came with black wheels. Now equipped with brushed wheels from Anrky, the German tourer was listed with just over 1,000 miles to its name back in January 2021 with a buy-it-now price of 695,750 buckaroos. That would be circa $807K adjusted for inflation.

The retail price on the 722 was 480,000 dollars, meaning just around $728K in 2024. Be that as it may, the selling dealer is asking $649,995 via duPont Registry for WDDAJ76F77M001323. Despite starting with a W for what used to be West Germany, all versions of the SLR McLaren were produced in the United Kingdom at the McLaren Technology Centre.

In addition to its provenance, low miles, rarity, and surprisingly low asking price, this fellow is also special because of the men who designed the SLR. First and foremost, enter the one and only Gordon Murray. The other person is Gorden Wagener, who heads design at Mercedes-Benz, the AMG go-faster division, and the Maybach luxury division since 2008.

We also have to remember that 722 Edition stands for more power, improved aero, better handling, plus a nicer cockpit. With the 722 Edition, the three-pointed star from Stuttgart also paid tribute to the number worn by the 1955 Mille Miglia-winning 300 SLR racecar. The 10-hour and 7-minute record set by Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson continues to stand, partly because the original incarnation of the Mille Miglia ceased to exist after the particularly deadly 1957 race.

Compared to the naturally aspirated eight-cylinder 300 SLR, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition packs a supercharged V8 with a massive 641 horsepower on tap. Maximum torque is rated at 605 pound-feet (820 Nm), which is 15 more than the McLaren 750S produces from its twin-turbocharged V8.

It's also running a torque-converter automatic rather than a good ol' manual or a quick-shifting DCT, which is only natural for a car developed two decades ago. Lest we forget, Volkswagen launched its very first DSG – the DQ250 – back in 2003 with the Golf R32.

Mercedes replaced the SLR McLaren with the SLS AMG in 2010, and the indirect successor to the SLS AMG is the first-generation AMG GT. Merc's current range-topping performance car is the F1 turbo V6 hybrid power unit-engined ONE, a completely different animal from the 722 previously owned by Jordan.