VIN: the works / Schlumpf Collection Mercedes-Benz W196S 300 SLR chassis 0005/55
History of chassis 0005/55
Chassis 0005/55 was one of eight 300 SLRs built.
Its first competition appearance came on the SLR’s debut event which was round three of the 1955 World Sportscar Championship: the Mille Miglia.
0005/55 was allocated to Karl Kling who drove the 1000 mile road race single-handedly.
Kling got underway at 7:01am.
At the southernmost checkpoint in Rome, Kling was fourth behind Moss / Jenkinson (Mercedes), Taruffi (Ferrari) and Fangio (Mercedes).
However, shortly afterwards, Kling hit a tree and broke three ribs when trying to avoid some errant spectators. He retired on the spot.
Team-mates Moss / Jenkinson and Fangio went on to take a famous one-two.
After it had been repaired back at the factory, 0005/55 was next wheeled out for the Dundrod Tourist Trophy four-and-a-half months later.
Kling was partnered with Fangio for the Northern Irish event which was round five of the World Sportscar Championship.
Fangio was seventh at the end of lap one, but had moved up to third when he handed over to Kling.
0005/55 was still third when Fangio got back in for his second stint and was now just 80 seconds behind the Jaguar D-type of Hawthorn / Titterington.
As Moss crossed the line to take another win in one of the sister SLRs, Hawthorn had everything lock solid which forced his Jaguar into a spin. Fangio sailed passed the stricken D-type to grab second.
The final round of the 1955 World Sportscar Championship took place at the Targa Florio four weeks later with everything still to play for. Mercedes and Jaguar were level on 16 points, Maserati were fourth on 13 and Ferrari led with 19.
Both Maserati and Ferrari would have to drop a couple of points if they did well in Sicily as only a manufacturer’s best four results counted. Jaguar would not win the title as they didn’t attend.
After a strong showing alongside Mike Hawthorn at Dundrod, Desmond Titterington joined John Fitch in 0005/55.
At the end of lap one, Titterington was fifth.
After four laps, he handed over to Fitch who promptly reshaped the car’s back end when he slid into a wall.
Nevertheless, Titterington and Fitch managed to bring the car home in fourth.
Meanwhile, a tactical mistake by Ferrari meant they had to make an extra stop which demoted them to third behind Moss / Collins and Fangio / Kling.
The oversight was enough to hand Mercedes the 1955 championship by 24 points to 22.
Afterwards, the SLRs returned to Germany.
In 1966, chassis 0005/55 was loaned to the Schlumpf brothers who had quietly amassed one of the greatest collections of motor cars in the world.
The Schlumpfs were on very good terms with former Mercedes racing team manager, Alfred Neubauer.
At the time, Neubauer was in charge of the Mercedes-Benz Museum and arranged the loan of 0005/55 to the Schlumpfs along with a couple of surplus Grand Prix cars from the factory’s well-stocked storeroom.
The terms of the loan were shrouded in mystery; at the time, the Schlumpf’s collection was still hidden away and would not come to light until 1977.
The brothers had prepared to showcase their vast array of machinery in a lavish museum, but shortly before it opened, the brothers (who were textile barons) were forced to lay off thousands of workers and declare bankruptcy.
In March 1977, trade unions discovered the secret collection during a protest.
Almost 2000 ex-workers occupied the museum and the brothers were held in their nearby Malmerspach villa.
After three days, at the French authorities instigation, the Schlumpfs were taken to the Swiss border in Basel where they officially took up residence. They spent the rest of their days as permanent guests in the Drei Koenige Hotel.
In France, the brothers were accused of having misused their business to finance their hobby. For two years, the museum was run as a worker’s benefit.
By 1978, the museum had attracted 800,000 visitors and most of the cars had been placed on the historical register of French artefacts.
By 1979, the scale of the Schlumpf’s debt had become clear and various creditors eyed the car collection as a means to recover their losses. A bankruptcy liquidator ordered the museum be closed.
In 1981, the vehicles, buildings and land were sold to the French state for FFr44m.
Mercedes tried to get their cars back, to no avail.
The SLR has remained in the Cite de l’Automobile ever since.
Notable History
Daimler-Benz AG
01/05/1955 WSC Mille Miglia (K. Kling) DNF (#701)
18/09/1955 WSC Dundrod Tourist Trophy (J.M. Fangio / K. Kling) 2nd oa, 2nd S3.0 class (#9)
16/10/1955 WSC Targa Florio (D. Titterington / J. Fitch) 4th oa, 4th S2.0+ class (#106)
1966 loaned to the Schlumpf brothers
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Mercedes-Benz - https://www.mercedes-benz.com
