One to Buy: 1 of 2 ex-works 1955 Mercedes-Benz W196S 300 SLR Coupe
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In the midst of an epic Ferrari v Jaguar battle for Sports car racing supremacy, Mercedes-Benz swept in with a machine that is regarded among the greatest ever: the 300 SLR.
Thanks to an intoxicating specification and remarkable record of winning every race it started (unless withdrawn), the SLR saw off very stiff opposition, seemingly with ease. However, the model will always be associated with motor racing’s most tragic hour: the 1955 Le Mans 24 Hour disaster where 83 spectators were killed after Pierre Levegh’s SLR barrel rolled into the crowd. Inevitably, Mercedes withdrew its remaining cars from the race at Le Mans, giving up what looked a nailed-on win.
Having started life in Spyder trim, Mercedes subsequently developed an SLR Coupe for long distance road races where a fixed head body would prove advantageous in terms of aerodynamics and passenger protection. Mercedes’ chief engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, ordered a pair of SLR Coupes after the 1955 Mille Miglia and planned to race them in the season-ending Carrera Panamericana.
Unfortunately, neither of the two SLR Coupes (chassis 0007/55 and 0008/55) went on to race at the Carrera because the event was cancelled in the aftermath of the ‘55 Le Mans disaster.
Going under the hammer with RM Sotheby’s in a sale at the Mercedes-Benz factory in Stuttgart on May 5th is the second of those two 300 SLR Coupes: chassis 0008/55.
Without the need to have the two Coupes ready for the now-cancelled Carrera Panamericana (originally scheduled to take place in late November), the assembly of 0008/55 did not begin until December 1955 and wasn’t completed until June 1956. It has been retained by Mercedes-Benz since new.
Between January and July of 1986, the car was sent to the renowned Tony Merrick in England for some restoration work. Afterwards, it attended the Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nurburgring in August 1986. Other notable appearances have included the 1988 Geneva Motor Show, the 2001 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and in the 2003 launch brochure for the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.
