Alonso gets McLaren SLR 722 as company car

Now that Formula One champ Fernando Alonso is driving for McLaren, the 25-year old Spaniard has been given the best that the company has to offer. He’s taken delivery of the ultra-rare Mercedes-McLaren 722, describing it as the "prettiest car in the world." We can’t help but feel he’d say something along the same lines for the Mercedes R-Class too. At least the 722 has 650hp (485kW) on tap.

Constructed at the same Woking base in the UK as the MP4-22 racecar, the special edition SLR is 1 of only 150 cars in production. It was developed with the aid of supercar legend Gordon Murray, and manages to complete the 0-100km/h dash in just 3.6 seconds. The odd 722 labeling comes from a race in 1955 in which Stirling Moss competed in a Mercedes Benz 300 SLR, starting the race at exactly 7.22am.

Alonso will rely on the stylish Mercedes CLS sedan as his daily driver, but we’d also suggest he gets a new hairstylist as part of his package. Mercedes didn't announce what Alonso’s rookie teammate Lewis Hamilton would be getting, but we've heard rumors about a B-class. In all seriousness, though, we're looking forward to seeing what Ron Dennis’ protege can muster up on the track.