Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR

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), 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). 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." Two of the nine 300 SLR rolling chassis produced (nicknamed the "Uhlenhaut Coupé") were built as closed coupés. Effectively road legal racers, they had coupé styling and gull-wing doors, superficially resembling the 300 SL production car. 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.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Successor: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

All Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

History

=== Name === In spite of its name and strong resemblance to both the streamlined 1952 W194 Le Mans racer, and the iconic 1954 300SL Gullwing road car it spawned, 1955 300 SLR was not derived from either. Instead, it was based on the successful 2.5-litre straight-eight-powered 1954–1955 Mercedes-Benz W196 Formula One champion, with the engine enlarged to 3.0 litres for the sports car racing circuit and designated "SL-R" for Sport Leicht-Rennen (eng: Sport Light-Racing). All were the work of Daimler-Benz's design chief Rudolf Uhlenhaut. Racing record. In the 1955 World Sportscar Championship, only the best 4 results out of the 6 races would count, and most factory teams skipped the early overseas events. So did Mercedes as a Sports Car team, but not as a F1 team. The 16 January 1955 Argentine Grand Prix was won by defending World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio for Mercedes, suffering burns to his leg. As the new open top version of the 300 SLR open was not ready yet, its enlarged 3 litre straight-8 pump gas engine would be fitted into the single seater Mercedes-Benz W196 Formula 1 cars for the 30 January 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix Formula Libre race that was won by Fangio ahead of Moss. In between, the 1955 1000 km Buenos Aires was won 1-2 by local Argentinians for Ferrari after the works entries were disqualified, and the Maserati in 3rd place won 4 points for the brand. The new 300 SLR was not entered in the 1955 12 Hours of Sebring in March, as the car was still not yet ready. After some controversy, a factory Jaguar won ahead of private Ferrari and Maserati. After intense preparation of the Mercedes team for the 1955 Mille Miglia, driving the public roads several times in various types of cars, Mercedes team driver Stirling Moss won the 1955 Mille Miglia in a 300 SLR

Technical description

=== Design === The 300 SLR was front mid-engined, with its long longitudinally mounted engine placed just behind the front axle to better balance front/rear weight distribution. A brazed steel tube spaceframe chassis carried ultra-light Elektron magnesium-alloy bodywork (having a relative density of 1.8, less than a quarter of iron's 7.8), which contributed substantially to the low vehicle mass of 901 kg (1,986 lb) for the roadster, 1,117 kg (2,463 lb) in the case of the coupé. The SLR had a second seat for a co-driver, mechanic, or navigator, depending on the race. As it turned out, this was only needed during the Mille Miglia, as the 1955 Carrera Panamericana was cancelled due to the 1955 Le Mans accident. On some circuits such as the Targa Florio the extra seat was covered and passenger windshield removed to improve aerodynamics. The front windshield for the two-seater mode was originally steeply raked, but due to intense turbulence in the cabin this was redesigned repeatedly during testing at Hockenheim before Mille Miglia. Jenkinson used the long curls of his trademark beard as flow visualisation aids. Thus evaluated, the final design used at Mille Miglia ended up being near vertical. A total of nine W 196 S chassis were built: seven roadsters, and two coupés. Work was ongoing on an updated design for 1956 when Mercedes-Benz abruptly announced their withdrawal from all forms of motorsport following the Le Mans tragedy. The front suspension, the engine, and the brakes were being redesigned for this cancelled project; in parallel with the Uhlenhaut Coupés a coupé version had also been under development, with the aim of once again winning the Carrera Panamericana. Engine. The M 196 S engine is a naturally aspirated straight-eight engine with a bore and stroke of 78.0

SLR McLaren

Inspired by the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren grand tourer made its debut in 2003. Jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive it featured a hand-built 5.4-litre, supercharged 626 PS (460 kW; 617 hp) all-aluminium V8 engine. The SLR McLaren was available in both coupé and roadster versions, as well as a number of other specialised variants. Production ran through early 2010.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.