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Moss and the 300 SLR
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For the 1955 running of the RAC’s Tourist Trophy at Dundrod, Ireland, Moss and co-driver John Fitch managed to emerge victorious over Jaguar-mounted Mike Hawthorn and Desmond Titterington despite late-race rain and an exploding tire,—the visible legacy of which is the missing fender shown here.
Legends Speak

Moss and the 300 SLR

 Sir Stirling Moss

My personal record with the Mercedes 300 SLR was six starts, three wins, two 2nd places and one “withdrawn when leading”…under protest. That was at Le Mans after the big crash when one of our cars was involved and the Mercedes board in Stuttgart decided to withdraw the other cars.

Stirling Moss
Stirling Moss

The SLRs were really sports-bodied versions of the W196 Grand Prix car, which first appeared in 1954, but with a 3-liter cast-block engine very similar to the Grand Prix straight-eight desmodromic valve unit. Mercedes tested these cars before their debut in the 1955 Mille Miglia. In preparation for that race, we had done the most comprehensive reconnaissance I ever experienced. Mercedes were determined to win the Mille Miglia and spared no expense to do so. There was a three-month period of practice, testing and development for this one race. In addition to flogging round Italy in 220 saloons and 300 SLs, the first two 300 SLRs were flogged mercilessly over the route as well.

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Brand (Ferrari)Brand (Jaguar)Brand (Mercedes-Benz)Decade (1950s)Event (RAC Tourist Trophy)Featured (Legends Speak)Featured (Racecar Feature)Grand PrixPeople (Denis Jenkinson)People (Eugenio Castellotti)People (Juan Manuel Fangio)People (Karl Kling)People (Peter Collins)Race (24 Hours of Le Mans)Race (Targa Florio)Racetrack (Dundrod Circuit)Racetrack (Hockenheim)Racetrack (Nürburgring)Series (Formula One (F1))Series (Mille Miglia)

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Sir Stirling Moss
Steve Natale has been playing with cars ever since he was old enough to first hold a matchbox car in his hand. A lifelong enthusiast of anything old with an engine in it or wheels on it, Steve has been active in the hobby for over 35 years. Currently he owns a successful marketing company with his wife Mary, is an automotive photographer, blogger and writer for several automotive magazines and regular contributor to various automotive websites. Steve has attended vintage car events and visited car museums and collections around the world.
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