It's been talked about for some time, but Car and Driver has finally taken the wraps off the new Mercedes SLR McLaren Roadster, capturing pics of the consummate supercar at a photo shoot in the Canary Islands.

While the photos reveal the SLR roadster's exterior styling remains virtually unchanged from its hardtop counterpart (save for what Car and Driver's saying will be a soft top, not a retractable hard top), what's unclear is whether it receives standard front-hinged doors or keeps the butterfly variant.  My bet's on the latter, and I'm sure most potential SLR roadster owners favor the same; but then again, anything's possible.

We will of course keep you posted when new details are revealed; in the meantime, head over to Car and Driver to check out the full, somewhat-more-clear Mercedes SLR roadster photo collection.

Enjoy.