Cars
The Tragic Queen
This article examines the remarkable story of the Mercedes-Benz 300SLR, a revolutionary car that rose to fame in the 1950s. Through its pioneering use of innovative technology, the 300SLR achieved great success on the racing circuit.
It is encouraging, when difficult times like this are upon us, to remind ourselves just how quickly we humans are capable of rediscovering the path of progress and well-being. In 1945, Germany was a pile of smouldering rubble. A mere ten years later, it dominated the circuits all over the world, both in Formula and sports categories, with cars so advanced they are extraordinary to this day. The first of these, in 1954, was the Formula 1 single-seater named W 196 made in both traditional, open-wheeled and faired versions. A year later came the sports car, with the 8-cylinder in line engine now enlarged from 2500cc to 3000cc.
The magnificent lines of the 300 SLR appear to be derived from the magnificent mechanics where every space has been optimized. You can see the front inboard brakes, the tilted engine with the air intake and direct injection system to the right, the fuel tanks and the large front radiator for cooling.
Its name, linked to the SL acronym used by Mercedes on its Gullwing road car, was the 300SLR, where the R stood for racing. The car, best known for Stirling Moss’ heroic victory and his unbeaten record at the 1955 Mille Miglia, came with a magnificently low stance - as a result of mounting the engine tilted - with desmodromic valve actuation to avoid valve float, and direct injection.
