 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR preserved at the Mercedes-Benz Museum | |
| Category | World Sportscar Championship |
|---|---|
| Constructor | Daimler-Benz AG |
| Designer(s) | Rudolf Uhlenhaut |
| Technical specifications | |
| Suspension (front) | Double wishbone, torsion bar springs, telescopic shock absorbers |
| Suspension (rear) | Single-joint swing axle, longitudinal torsion-bar springs, telescopic shock absorbers |
| Engine | Mercedes-Benz M 196 S 2,982 cc (182 cu in) straight-8 naturally aspirated front-mid |
| Transmission | Daimler-Benz 5-speed transaxle gearbox |
| Fuel | Super petrol (98 RON) |
| Tyres | Continental |
| Competition history | |
| Notable entrants | Mercedes-Benz |
| Notable drivers |  Juan Manuel Fangio Stirling Moss Pierre Levegh |
| Debut | 1955 Mille Miglia |
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR (W 196 S) is a two-seat sports racing car that took part in the 1955 World Sportscar Championship before a catastrophic crash and fire at Le Mans later that year ended its domination prematurely. The car was designated "SL-R" (for Sport, Leicht, Rennen, eng: sport, light, racing version), which was later condensed to "SLR". Technically, the W 196 S is based on the W 196 R, but has a slightly different engine, displacing 3 litres.
Just as the W 196 R Formula One racer's M 196 R engine, the 300 SLR's M 196 S engine is a direct-injected 3-litre straight-eight engine (but with a 78 mm bore and stroke); its rated power is 302 PS (222 kW).[1]
The W 196 S's monoposto driving position was modified to standard two-abreast seating, headlights were added, and a few other changes made to adapt a strictly track competitor to a 24-hour road/track sports racer.
Hall of Fame Formula One driver and former Mercedes-Benz team 300 SLR race driver Stirling Moss described the 300 SLR as "The greatest sports racing car ever built – really an unbelievable machine."[2]
Two of the nine 300 SLR rolling chassis produced (nicknamed the "Uhlenhaut Coupé") were converted into 300 SLR/300 SL hybrids. Effectively road legal racers, they had coupé styling, gull-wing doors, and a footprint midway between the two models.
When Mercedes-Benz cancelled its racing programme after the Le Mans disaster, the hybrid project was shelved. Company design chief Rudolf Uhlenhaut, architect of both the 300 SLR racer and the hybrids, appropriated one of the leftover mules as his personal car. Capable of approaching 290 km/h (180 mph), the Uhlenhaut Coupé was by far the fastest road car in the world in its day.
A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé has become the most expensive car to ever be sold after being auctioned off for €135 million. The car, previously owned by Mercedes-Benz, was sold by RM Sotheby's to an unknown collector at the Mercedes-Benz Museum on 5 May 2022.[3]
- ^ "Mercedes-Benz Rennsportwagen 300 SLR (W 196 S), 1955: Fahrzeugtext". Classic M@RS (in German). Daimler AG. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023.
- ^ [1] "Sir Stirling Moss's legendary 1955 Mille Miglia Mercedes takes one final drive", Hagerty.com, October 2021
- ^ "1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR sells for world-record £114million". Auto Express. Retrieved 16 November 2022.