Such is the case of Rudolf Uhlenhaut, who was mainly responsible for successful Formula and Sports cars, signed as Mercedes-Benz chief engineer.
An uncertain project
The car in question was a closed version of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR (W196 S), entered by the brand in the 1955 World Sport Car Championship. This new coupe body had been designed for one of the last rounds of the championship: La Carrera Panamericana.
But, like many other events that year, it never happened: the Le Mans tragedy in June (where 84 people died) stopped everything.
The direct involvement of a Mercedes-Benz vehicle in the accident led, at first instance, to the firm’s decision to abandon Formula 1 at the end of the season.
Development goes on
Since sports car competitions were still scheduled, it was decided to finish the SLR coupé (chassis 007/55), which was ready during that summer.
Part of the tests were carried out by Uhlenhaut himself, who personally drove with the SLR to Sweden or Monza.
After the definitive cancellation of the Carrera Panamericana, and the subsequent departure of Mercedes-Benz from Sport car competitions in October, the future of the Coupe was cut off. Thereafter it was made available to its creator for private use (he never owned it).
Legend has it that he covered the 220 km between Munich and Stuttgart in less than two hours.
Marketing tasks
In addition to the first chassis (007/55, blue interior), another coupe was finished at the end of 1955 (chassis 008/55, red interior). Mercedes-Benz carried out a multitude of promotional tasks in different countries with these vehicles.
During 1956, Uhlenhaut was also present in some of the few tests that were carried out by specialized magazines of the time. It was an opportunity for journalists to test the incredible performance of this Formula 1 wrapped in a coupe body, capable of reaching 290 km/h. We are talking about a car with tubular chassis, an 300 PS 8-cylinder engine and a magnesium alloy body, ¡in the mid-50s!.
The most characteristic feature of the car in Professor Uhlenhaut’s period is its prominent exterior exhaust muffler, probably required by the authorities for road use.
Although it could be associated with 300 SL road cars, the SLR coupes were totally different vehicles: they had a chassis and engine derived from the Mercedes’ Formula cars, and their interior was smaller and poorly ventilated.
Its road registration would have been impossible today, but in 1955 it seems that improving the exhaust system was enough. Although the pedestrians were thus somewhat protected from the deafening roar of the 8-cylinder in-line engine, inside earplugs were mandatory for long trips.
Always with Daimler
We don’t know how long chassis 077/55 was at Uhlenhaut’s disposal (who remained at Mercedes-Benz until his retirement in November 1972), but both this vehicle and its twin car with red interior (chassis 008/55) were always under the firm’s ownership since its manufacture. Only the latter, against all odds, was auctioned in 2022 and sold for a record figure (135 million euros).
Sources: Mercedes-Benz, Magneto
