VIN: the works Mercedes-Benz W194 300 SL chassis 00006/52
/ Ben Tyer
HISTORY OF CHASSIS 00006/52
Chassis 00006/52 was one of the original ten W194 300 SLs built for 1952. An eleventh then followed which served as a development mule for the W198 300 SL Gullwing production model.
00006/52 made its competitive debut at the W194’s second event: the Swiss Grand Prix Support Race at Bremgarten on May 18th. Four works cars were entered for the 18 lap contest, each of which was painted a unique colour. 00006/52 attended in a traditional silver colour scheme and was allocated to Fitz Riess who qualified eleventh.
Despite his lowly starting position, Riess moved through the field to finish third behind team-mates Karl Kling and Hermann Lang.
Unfortunately, the race was marred by a career-ending crash for Mercedes driver Rudolf Caracciola who lost control of his 300 SL on lap 13 and ploughed headlong into a tree at high speed.
Upon its return to Germany, 00006/52 was equipped with an experimental roof-mounted air brake that Mercedes planned to test at Le Mans. However, having run the air brake during the early stages of practice, the organisers deemed it unsafe and Mercedes were prohibited from using it in the race.
Nevertheless, Mercedes went on to take a historic one-two finish at la Sarthe thanks to Lang / Riess and Helfrich / Niedermay.
00006/52 was then converted to lightweight Spyder trim for its next outing: the German Grand Prix Support Race at the Nurburgring on August 3rd. Mercedes took a team of four Spyders to the Nordschleife, all of which ran a new side-exiting exhaust.
Theo Helfrich qualified fifth with 00006/52 and went on to finish the ten lap race in fourth position behind team-mates Lang, Kling and Riess.
The car was then exported to Argentina in 1953 where it disappeared from view.
At some stage it seems likely 00006/52 was damaged by fire as parts from it were sold at auction in 1999.
Today, at least two cars claim the identity of 00006/52, one of which was restored by Mercedes in 2002.
Notable History
Daimler-Benz
Registered W83 3146
Silver
18/05/1952 IND Swiss GP Support Race, Bremgarten (F. Riess) 3rd oa (#22)
Fitted with experimental airbrake
15/06/1952 IND Le Mans 24 Hours (-) T-car (#22)
Converted to Spyder configuration
Silver with Green flashes
03/08/1952 IND German GP Support Race, Nurburgring (T. Helfrich) 4th oa, 4th S3.0 class (#23)
1953 exported to Argentina
1999 fire damaged parts sold at auction
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Mercedes-Benz - https://www.mercedes-benz.com
The six-round 1955 World Sportscar Championship comprised endurance events in Argentina, the USA, France, Great Britain and a brace of Italian road races. Mercedes were to participate from…
Following a 13 year absence, Mercedes-Benz returned to motor racing in 1952 with the W194 300 SL. A three-litre straight six-powered Sports Prototype, the W194 proved an enormous success…
Between 1967 and 1969, Porsche commissioned three transporters from Mercedes-Benz based on the O317 platform. During the years that followed, this handsome trio traversed Europe, initially…
After Mercedes’ collaboration with its F1 engine partner McLaren yielded the commercially disappointing SLR, the German firm elected to produce its next flagship sports car entirely in-house.
Having plumbed a 5.6-litre dual overhead cam 32 valve V8 into the W124 E-class in 1986, AMG went on to offer an even more epic 6-litre 385bhp version from 1987. Thanks to their status as the fastest…
Farewell to a legend: “The Last Blast” follows the unparalleled drive of the famous Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR “722” in a London tribute to Sir Stirling Moss.
Chassis 040.5500758 was the 300 SL Gullwing famously entered by Mercedes-Benz for the 1955 Mille Miglia which took place over the weekend of April 30th and May 1st. Although an aluminium…
Although Mercedes’ second generation SL was not a direct replacement for the W198, the new W113 began a line of supremely elegant open top boulevard cruisers that offered unmatched…
Although by the time Mercedes decided to support a DTM programme the 190 E 2.3-16 was up against much newer machinery (chiefly BMW’s E30 M3), the firm’s compact class W201 ultimately…
Having already collaborated on a small series of existing models, the first Mercedes-Benz conceived at the pre-production stage with AMG emerged at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1993.
Chassis 198.040.5500840 was the second of four W198 300 SLs purchased by renowned race team owner, Rob Walker. A White aluminium-bodied example riding on Rudge wheels, this latest machine…
At Artcurial’s sale in Paris on January 27th, one of the most fascinating 300 SL Gullwings we have encountered will be going under the hammer: chassis 198.040.6500019. Ordered through the…
After World War 2, Mercedes-Benz initially got itself back on a sound financial footing with a range of superbly crafted but largely unexciting models. Initially, a re-entry to the world of motor racing was…
In addition to a productionised version of the 300 SL raced to victory at the 1952 Le Mans 24 Hours and Carrera Panamericana, Mercedes’ recently appointed distributor for the United States, Max…
At the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1963, Mercedes-Benz launched its new super high end 600. Conceived to rival anything Rolls-Royce or Bentley had to offer, the 600 (model code W100)…
Considering its substantial price and seemingly limited market, the fact that Mercedes managed to sell 1400 examples of the W198 300 SL Gullwing between 1954 and ‘57 remains truly remarkable.
Had sales of the base SLR met expectations, it’s doubtful whether Mercedes would have produced the wild Stirling Moss edition which, with its lack of roof, windscreen and other basic amenities, was…
Having created arguably the greatest super sports car of its day with the W198 300 SL Gullwing, Mercedes-Benz went on to sweat the Sport Leicht moniker with a line of luxurious boulevard cruisers…
In terms of the hottest brand new car available in the final months of the 1987-1990 collector car boom, it’s hard to argue against the wild Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 in Evolution 2 trim. Built right at…
Having quit circuit racing in 1955 following the infamous tragedy at that year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, the late 1980s saw Mercedes-Benz return with a top flight Sports car programme and an attack on…
Although the Mercedes-Benz 190 E went on to achieve great things in DTM during its twilight years, perhaps the most famous event contested by the model was a one-off twelve lap race…
When Mercedes unveiled their Gullwing-doored 300 SL at the New York Motor Show in February 1954, wealthy buyers from all four corners of the globe were suddenly able to go and order a…
Completed on September 24th 1954, chassis 4500012 was ordered by Mercedes-Benz to serve as a ‘Standwagen’ or show car. Accordingly, it was configured in trademark Silver Grey Metallic paint…
Unveiled at the New York Motor Show in April 2007, the CLK63 AMG Black Series was Mercedes’ second iteration of its Black Series line. Conceived as a street legal version of the official Safety Car…
After an agonising 55 year wait during which various prototypes of potential successors emerged that never made it into production, Mercedes-Benz finally unveiled an heir to its legendary W198 300…
In addition to the outrageous V8-powered Hammer, AMG also offered a slightly toned down version of the timeless Mercedes-Benz W124 E-class using the company’s renowned straight six. At its heart…
Chassis 00009/52 was one of ten W194 300 SLs built for the 1952 racing season. Of these, eight saw competitive action. An eleventh W194 was subsequently assembled to serve as a development mule…
Arguably the most famous win of Mercedes’ dominant 1955 World Sportscar Championship campaign with the 300 SLR came at the 1955 Mille Miglia where Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson…
Introduced at the New York Motor Show in February 1954, Mercedes’ Gullwing-doored W198 300 SL re-wrote the rulebook in terms of what could be expected from a series production super sports car.
Today, RM Sotheby’s broke the record for the most valuable Formula 1 car ever sold: the Mercedes-Benz W196R Stromlinienwagen chassis 00009/54. One of four known complete…