Legendary Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR and the brand new SLR 'Stirling Moss' ...

[Wouter Melissen]

Dear Ultimatecarpage.com visitor,

Completing a 1000 mile race on public roads with an average of close to 100 mph is still a daunting task today. Sir Stirling Moss managed to just that over fifty years ago when he drove the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Roadster to a debut victory in the 1955 Mille Miglia. This record stands to this day. It was the result of Moss' superb talent, co-driver Denis Jenkinson's pioneering pace-notes and of course the fantastic racing car provided by Mercedes-Benz. Especially the three-litre straight eight engine was a work of art. Well ahead of its time, it sported direct fuel injection and desmodromic valves. On alcohol it was capable of producing a staggering 340 bhp and it could safely rev to 8000 rpm. Sir Stirling won two more races in the same car and at the end of the season Mercedes-Benz was World Champion.
We have had the privilege to see the great Sir Stirling Moss demonstrate his Mille Miglia winner as well as the sister car driven to second place that same race by Juan Manuel Fangio. This has resulted in an action packed 18-shot gallery to illustrate a detailed history of one of Mercedes' finest racing cars.
Although the great 300 SLR deserves a detailed feature any day of the week, the reason to publish the article today is the launch of the SLR McLaren 'Stirling Moss'. Limited to just 75 examples, it is the most extreme McLaren SLR version to date. It benefits from a complete exterior restyle and includes many cues that were directly lifted from Moss' Mille Miglia winner like the cut down wind-screen, the bonnet scoop and the side-pipes. Our only quirk with the new SLR is the name; we feel that one of our all-time favourite driver's name should not be associated with any car. He successfully raced for so many manufacturers that it does not seem right that Mercedes now claims his name as theirs.

Enjoy the links:

1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SLR Roadster - Images, Specifications and Information

2009 Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren 'Stirling Moss' - Images, Specifications and Information

Regards,
Wouter Melissen

[LeonOfTheDead]

I would really like to see both of them at next year Mille Miglia, but I guess there will be only the original 300 SLR, too bad
good update W.

[LTSmash]

Anyone else notice Leno in the pic?

[henk4]

Anyone else notice Leno in the pic?

he joined Moss in the demo drive on Laguna Seca in 2005.
here's another shot from that occasion

[Kitdy]

Who wrote the message on the 300 SLR? What's the significance of 1905 and 2005 on the inscription?

[henk4]

Who wrote the message on the 300 SLR? What's the significance of 1905 and 2005 on the inscription?

It looks like Moss wrote it, and he may have made a mistake by putting 1905 in stead of 1955....