Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR "Uhlenhaut-Coupé" - To mark the occasion

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR "Uhlenhaut-Coupé" - To mark the occasion

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Created on May 24, 2022

Text:

Karl Ludvigsen (Übersetzung: Paul Krüger)

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Ludvigsen Partners

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Archiv Karl Heinz Münter

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Karl Heinz Münter

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Daimler AG - Courtesy Louwman Museum

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AR

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The Spitzley - Monkhouse Collection

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Daimler AG

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The man who gave the Coupé its name: Rudolf Uhlenhaut drove the closed 300 SLR in everyday life and on the racetrack.

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Beneath the smooth shell of the 300 SLR was a tubular frame that was as delicate as it was complicated. This is the chassis of an open car with a larger fuel tank. The 40-liter oil tank is located behind the front wheel.

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The "red" coupé in the warehouse of the Mercedes-Benz collection. Next to it is one of the never-used 1956 models, recognizable by the hood, with the starting number of Fangio's 1955 Mille Miglia car.

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On the first Coupé with chassis number 007/55, the fuel filler neck was initially located in the rear window. It was later relocated under the tailgate.

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Coupé number seven on the factory premises This perspective emphasizes the already overlong hood. The small badge between the radiator grille and hood, which is missing on the second coupé, can just be guessed.

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As with the 300 SL, the gullwing doors were a necessity of the tubular frame. Nobody will have been bothered by the similarity between the production and racing coupé, which was effective advertising. The scoop in the hood is for intake air. The fine-mesh screen replaces the air filter.

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Coupé number eight with the red interior was usually shown and demonstrated at events such as here at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2013.

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Number 007/55 during test drives on the factory premises. The air scoop in front of the windshield and the transparent wind deflector in front of it are new. The monstrous exhaust silencer hangs on the passenger side. The tank filler pipe behind the rear window appears to be missing.

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Technical siblings, even more so today than back then: the second scoop on the hood of the W196 Monoposto shows that it is no longer powered by its original two-and-a-half-liter engine, but by the SLR's three-liter.

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Coupé number seven on the factory premises in 1955. The oval pout with the central star is celebrating a renaissance at Mercedes-Benz today.

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There is no more luggage space than the small shelf in front of the rear window. Instead of hinged windows like the 300 SL, the SLR had small sliding windows in the side windows.

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This view into the cockpit shows very well how much the driver had to spread his legs. There is a small "boundary wall" to prevent the passenger from getting in the way.

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The seats are surprisingly comfortable. Thanks to the wide door sills, the driver has plenty of elbow room. The steering wheel can be removed for getting in and out of the car.

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The shifting scheme takes some getting used to. First, third and fifth gear are at the front as usual. However, second and fourth gear are located one lane further to the right than usual. The complex linkage is designed to prevent shifting errors.

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The new owner of 008/55 can look forward to having enough spare wheels. The second Uhlenhaut coupé built was refueled between the two tires right from the start.

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This elevated perspective shows the strong curvature of the windshield and rear window, which does not exist on the 300 SL. This should have greatly improved visibility around bends for the racing drivers, particularly towards the front.

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The interplay of light and shadow emphasizes the curves of the 300 SLR. A removable "maintenance flap" sits behind the front wheel.

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007/55 during test drives on the Kristianstad race track in Sweden. Despite the starting number 15 on the rear side panel, the coupé did not take part in the race.

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The Uhlenhaut Coupé served as a replacement car for Fangio and Moss at the 1955 Swedish Grand Prix. However, it was not used in the race. It remained outside the classification for practice laps.

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Rudolf Uhlenhaut probably covered the most kilometers in the 300 SLR Coupé. His son Roger sits in the passenger seat of 007/55 (recognizable by the tank filler pipe). Hopefully he is wearing earplugs under his helmet.

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Karl Ludvigsen doesn't need hearing protection when trying out the "red" coupé. But even just taking a seat in the famous car was a special experience.

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The Mercedes-Benz team waits for the ferry to Sweden at the beginning of August. Wolfgang von Trips stands next to the "Blue Wonder", the famous racing transporter. The Uhlenhaut coupé made the journey on its own wheels.

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Fangio's winning car from the Swedish Grand Prix after returning to the Stuttgart racing department. Behind it, 007/55 is being repaired after the exertions of the long journey.

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007/55 after restoration in the Mercedes-Benz warehouse in Fellbach. The formerly open air intake is closed by a grille with a "brick pattern". The star is no longer flanked by two horizontal bars. The air scoop and wind deflector have remained.

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Same car, same place, same time: the rear window is now without a fuel filler neck, but the bulky exhaust silencer still hangs on the side. Next to the Uhlenhaut coupé is the "Hobel" W194/11, the 300-SL prototype from 1953.

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The Mercedes-Benz racing department at the beginning of 1955: a W196 monoposto is being built at the front. Behind it, the still unpainted body of the first Uhlenhaut coupé

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A snapshot before the 1955 Swedish Grand Prix: The Uhlenhaut Coupé is parked next to ordinary passenger cars and does not take part in the race.

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August 6, 1955, practice for the Swedish Grand Prix. Fangio and Moss will enter the open 300 SLR in the race the following day.

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR (1954) - piggybacking on the famous racing transporter with heavy signs of use

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After the tests in Sweden, it was on to Monza. 007/55 drove a total of 540 kilometers on the high-speed circuit in Italy.

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The "red" Coupé around the year 2000 in the Classic Center Fellbach racing car workshop.

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Juan Manuel Fangio in the Mercedes-Benz W196 at the 1954 European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring

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Pierre Levegh at the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans, his last race

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Return to Monza: 007/55 had to return to Italy for the "Automobil Revue" speed measurements.

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR (1955) – Fahrfertiges Chassis

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR "Uhlenhaut-Coupé" (1956) – In der Werkssammlung neben einem offenen SLR

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR "Uhlenhaut-Coupé" (1955) – Das erste der beiden Coupés mit Tankdeckel im Heckfenster

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR "Uhlenhaut-Coupé" (1955) – Fahrgestellnummer 7 auf dem Werksgelände

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR "Uhlenhaut-Coupé" (1956) – Mit Flügeltüren wie der 300 SL für die Strasse

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR "Uhlenhaut-Coupé" (1956) – Beim Goodwood Festival of Speed 2013

Summary

Perhaps the most desirable racing car in the world never even drove a single race. The drivers preferred a different body shape; the planned first outing was canceled after a catastrophe. The "Uhlenhaut Coupé" based on the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR remained a test vehicle against its will for the rest of its life. This article tells the story of the eight-cylinder racing coupé, which remained unsold for 66 years until it passed into new hands for EUR 135 million.

This article contains the following chapters

Continuing a success story
From Formula 1 to Le Mans
The armored big cat
Open preferred
A touch of the roof
A different kind of endurance racing car
Second coupé without a destination
You should have been a journalist
Clear division of roles
Sale

Estimated reading time: 15min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Daimler-Benz returned to international racing in 1952 with only half throttle. The 300 SL of the first season was largely developed from series components in order to get a feel for the post-war racing scene at low cost. According to Fritz Nallinger, the company's technical director, the project was deliberately small-scale. Nevertheless, the first 300 SL turned out well enough to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Carrera Panamericana in Mexico. When Daimler-Benz returned to serious racing in 1954, the company felt committed to its tradition. In the Grand Prix races from 1934 to 1939, Daimler-Benz cars enjoyed superior success and only had to fear competition in the form of the Auto-Union rear-engined cars. The racing heritage of Daimler and Benz was rich in victories dating back to the 19th century. When new Grand Prix rules came into force in 1954, allowing non-supercharged engines with a displacement of two and a half liters, the company, led by managing director Wilhelm Haspel, decided to get involved.

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Images of this article

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR (1955) – Fahrfertiges Chassis

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR "Uhlenhaut-Coupé" (1956) – In der Werkssammlung neben einem offenen SLR

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR "Uhlenhaut-Coupé" (1955) – Das erste der beiden Coupés mit Tankdeckel im Heckfenster

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR "Uhlenhaut-Coupé" (1955) – Fahrgestellnummer 7 auf dem Werksgelände

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR "Uhlenhaut-Coupé" (1956) – Mit Flügeltüren wie der 300 SL für die Strasse

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR "Uhlenhaut-Coupé" (1956) – Beim Goodwood Festival of Speed 2013

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