VIN: A Gullwing for Rallye & 250 Monza for track - Hans Tak's Mercedes-Benz W198 300 SL chassis 198.043.5500194
/ Ben Tyer
HISTORY OF CHASSIS 198.043.5500194
As denoted by its ‘043’ VIN prefix, chassis ‘5500194, was one of the 29 W198 300 SL Gullwings produced with an aluminium as opposed to steel body.
It was ordered in Silver Grey with Rudge wheels by amateur Dutch driver Willem Johan Jacob Tak who typically went by the name Hans as there was already another family member named Willem.
In anticipation of the 1955 season, during which he also campaigned a Ferrari 250 Monza (chassis 0420 M), Hans Tak had his Gullwing specially prepared at the factory. Shortly after delivery, Tak embarked upon the maiden event with his new new Mercedes, the 1955 Tulip Rally, which alongside navigator W.C. Niemoller, the ‘5500194’ took a famous victory.
For circuit racing, Hans Tak ran his Ferrari throughout 1955 while the Mercedes was reserved for long distance road events. That year, ‘5500194’ was used for outings on the two-day Rallye de Dieppe (result unknown), the 300km Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti (eighth overall and third in the over two-litre GT class) and the 3500km non-stop Liege-Rome-Liege Rallye also known as the Marathon de la Route (22nd overall).
In 1956, Hans Tak took on twice as many events with the Mercedes than during the previous campaign. Although he was unable to retain his Tulip Rallye crown, the Dutch driver notably placed a creditable 39th in the season-opening Rallye Monte Carlo, finished ninth overall and first in the Grand Touring class at the Bari GP, sixth overall and second in class at the Giro delle Calabria and won a race at Zandvoort.
More strong results were achieved in 1957 when Tak and the Gullwing placed second on the Tulip Rally and won the arduous Scheveningen-Luxembourg-Scheveningen Rallye that went through the Ardennes, Luxembourg, Lorraine to Verdun and back through Belgium, Eindhoven and Baarle-Nassau to Scheveningen.
In 1958, Hans Tak also began to compete with a 300 SL Roadster. In what is believed to have been his sole outing with the Gullwing that year, he and navigator A. Hilarius took victory on the Scheveningen-Luxembourg-Scheveningen event.
1959 saw Tak contest the Monte Carlo Rallye with a Mercedes-Benz 220 S while his trusty old Gullwing was wheeled out for one final outing on the Tulip Rallye (DNF) and a circuit race at Zandvoort (finished second) after which it was retired from frontline duty.
Notable History
Aluminium body
Sold new to Hans Tak, Holland
Registered SG-10-77
30/04-07/05/1955 Tulip Rallye (H. Tak / W.C. Niemoller) 1st oa (#2)
21-22/05/1955 Rallye de Dieppe (H. Tak) ran (#??)
10/07/1955 Coppa d'Oro delle Dolomiti (H. Tak) 8th oa, 3rd GT 2.0+ class (#125)
17-21/08/1955 Liege-Rome-Liege Rally (H. Tak / Kokkes) 22nd oa (#22)
16-23/01/1956 Rallye Monte Carlo (H. Tak / F. van der Vlugt) 39th oa (#296)
24-28/02/1956 Rallye del Sestriere (H. Tak / ???) DNF (#6)
06-12/05/1956 Tulip Rallye (H. Tak / W.C. Niemoller) DNF (#1)
21/05/1956 Zandvoort Easter Races (H. Tak) ran (#67)
08/07/1956 Rouen GP (H. Tak) DNF (#46)
22/07/1956 Bari GP (H. Tak) 9th oa, 1st GT class (#68)
29/07/1956 Giro delle Calabria (H. Tak) 6th oa, 2nd GT 2.0+ class (#??)
07/08/1956 Zandvoort (H. Tak) 1st oa (#31)
6-11/05/1957 Tulip Rallye (H. Tak / W.C. Niemoller) 2nd oa (#1)
04/08/1957 Nurburgring Rheinland (H. Tak) ran (#34)
??/??/1957 Scheveningen-Luxembourg-Scheveningen Rallye (H. Tak / A. Hilarius) 1st oa (#??)
12-14/06/1958 Scheveningen-Luxembourg-Scheveningen Rallye (H. Tak / A. Hilarius) 1st oa (#??)
27/04-02/05/1959 Tulip Rally (H. Tak / J. Swaab) DNF (#1)
05/07/1959 Zandvoort (H. Tak) 2nd (#66)
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Ben van Meerendonk / AHF, IISG Collection - https://www.flickr.com/photos/iisg/ & 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…