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细节
The ex-Werner Engel 1955 World Rally Championship Winning and Karl Kling 1955 Swedish Grand Prix GT Class Winning
1953/54 MERCEDES-BENZ 300SL GULLWING WORKS PROTOTYPE
Chassis No. 8627 198071/7
Engine No. 5500613
Mercedes racing silver with blue tartan wool plaid seats and blue trim
Engine: in-line six cylinder, racing overhead camshaft, Bosch fuel injection, 2,996cc, 240bhp at 5800rpm; Gearbox: four-speed manual; Competition Suspension: uprated independent front and rear; Brakes: Alfin finned hydraulic drum all round. Lightweight chassis. Left hand drive.
That 1955 was something of a zenith year for Mercedes-Benz, in terms of motor racing achievement, is perhaps too modest a statement. The factory 300SLRs took the World Sports Car Championship from Ferrari with a 1-2-4 finish in the punishing final round Targa Florio in Sicily, having already won four of the other rounds. This included the famous Moss/Jenkinson Mille Miglia victory where they averaged 97.95mph over the 1,000 miles. Mercedes won the World Formula One Championship with Fangio clinching his third Drivers' World Championship title in the awesome W196 while the World Rally Championship was secured by Werner Engel and the American Sports Car Championship was sealed by Paul O'Shea in the first of his three successive championship titles.
This car, chassis number 8627 198071/7, is the pre-production prototype Gullwing that was first hand built by the crack Mercedes-Benz Experimental Department engineers. The first four digits of the chassis code, 8627, identify it as being from the Racing Department where the W196/SLR programme emanated from. It is, we believe, the only Gullwing that has this type of chassis number. Used by the factory as an experimental car, it underwent a number of changes from prototype Gullwing to racecar to eventual production car. As a Works racer the car was loaned to Werner Engel who used it to accumulate enough points to win the '55 Rally Championship, including the tortuous Liege-Rome-Liege event. Werner Engel had begun racing pre-war in a BMW 328. After the war he drove Porsches before finally graduating to the Mercedes-Benz. His family was in the publishing business and that allowed him to pursue his motorsport passion as a true amateur gentleman racer. He was also a close personal friend of Alfred Neubauer and Karl Kling. Indeed, Von Tripps and Fangio were each a Godfather to Engel's son, Mattias.
In addition to winning the 1955 World Rally Championship, Werner Engel was awarded the Silver Victory Wreath, the highest award for Sport given by the German government, presented by Richard von Frankenberg, the Porsche racing manager at a special ceremony. Karl Kling also drove this car to class victory in the Swedish Grand Prix in the same year (Fangio and Moss won outright in their SLRs) and it is believed to have also been the reconnaissance car for Moss prior to his famous Mille Miglia victory. Apparently Moss bent a front wing on the SL which upset Herr Neubauer, temporarily of course! The factory retained it until 1957 when it was sold to Mr. T. Wilder in the US. Mr. Wilder was President of Collins Radio & Avionics, a company closely associated with Studebaker Packard, also the US distributor for Mercedes-Benz. Happy to drive this special racing car on a daily basis, Mr. Wilder eventually sold it in 1976 to Mr. Harvey Lewis. Mr. Wilder's godson recalls going out in the car on many occasions and also the fact that Mercedes had provided two engines with the car, No. 4500001 (the first production M198) and a spare. Mr. Harvey only kept the car a short time before selling it to Mr. Lothar Hoess and he sold it to the present owner in 1989 at which point it was entrusted to respected marque expert Scott Grundfor for restoration. The decision was taken to restore it to its 1955 Works Racer specification.
Bearing in mind the history at stake, the restoration was undertaken with utmost care. Removing the body from the chassis revealed side members almost identical to the later production roadster but actually 9 inches lower than a Gullwing chassis (high sills being the reason for Gullwings having doors that open as they do). The restorers were somewhat confused by this but an unexpected call from Mattias Engel provided the answer. He was able to supply his father's original racing notes, which confirmed that the additional space beneath the door sills had been used for auxiliary fuel tanks, a big advantage for a rally car in fuel starved post-war Europe. Mattias also confirmed that he and his mother would follow the rally cars in a dark blue 220S Sedan filled with spare parts!
Being a prototype and race modified model, there are a host of further unique features and parts not found on subsequent production cars. These include special racing seats with louvered panels on the backrests, a different steering wheel with small horn push-button, dashboard located clock, competition suspension, wide windshield pillars, differently shaped roof vents and a lower and larger transmission tunnel with recess area for maps and thermos flask. Other differences can be found in the interior trim which lacks the chrome embellishment of the production models and a different center headlining panel and upholstered grab handles. It also has an experimental heating/ventilation system with large polished aluminum four-inch circular floor ducts that direct heat to the foot wells. A further unique feature is the interior push-button door openers, which make the car easily identifiable in period photographs. The restoration was superbly undertaken and the result is difficult to fault. The panelwork is exceptional and the paint finish outstanding. The interior has the original racing seats trimmed in blue wool plaid with louvered back panels. Other period extras include a pair of Halda timing watches, navigator lamps and thermos flask. A complete chance find at an autojumble saw the original Rome-Liege-Rome rally plates (rally number 87) reunited with the car, a final finishing touch to a remarkable effort. The car was subsequently only shown at the Meadowbrook Concours in 1998 where it won its class.
Mercedes-Benz has always made a point of not wasting their racing or experimental cars, unlike some other notable manufacturers. In 1952 there were at least three W194 300SL racers that were modified to different configuration and eventually left the factory in private hands. This car was transformed from experimental prototype to Works racer to daily driver. It is, in our opinion, a fascinating part of Mercedes-Benz history from a period when they were all-conquering in motorsport.
1953/54 MERCEDES-BENZ 300SL GULLWING WORKS PROTOTYPE
Chassis No. 8627 198071/7
Engine No. 5500613
Mercedes racing silver with blue tartan wool plaid seats and blue trim
Engine: in-line six cylinder, racing overhead camshaft, Bosch fuel injection, 2,996cc, 240bhp at 5800rpm; Gearbox: four-speed manual; Competition Suspension: uprated independent front and rear; Brakes: Alfin finned hydraulic drum all round. Lightweight chassis. Left hand drive.
That 1955 was something of a zenith year for Mercedes-Benz, in terms of motor racing achievement, is perhaps too modest a statement. The factory 300SLRs took the World Sports Car Championship from Ferrari with a 1-2-4 finish in the punishing final round Targa Florio in Sicily, having already won four of the other rounds. This included the famous Moss/Jenkinson Mille Miglia victory where they averaged 97.95mph over the 1,000 miles. Mercedes won the World Formula One Championship with Fangio clinching his third Drivers' World Championship title in the awesome W196 while the World Rally Championship was secured by Werner Engel and the American Sports Car Championship was sealed by Paul O'Shea in the first of his three successive championship titles.
This car, chassis number 8627 198071/7, is the pre-production prototype Gullwing that was first hand built by the crack Mercedes-Benz Experimental Department engineers. The first four digits of the chassis code, 8627, identify it as being from the Racing Department where the W196/SLR programme emanated from. It is, we believe, the only Gullwing that has this type of chassis number. Used by the factory as an experimental car, it underwent a number of changes from prototype Gullwing to racecar to eventual production car. As a Works racer the car was loaned to Werner Engel who used it to accumulate enough points to win the '55 Rally Championship, including the tortuous Liege-Rome-Liege event. Werner Engel had begun racing pre-war in a BMW 328. After the war he drove Porsches before finally graduating to the Mercedes-Benz. His family was in the publishing business and that allowed him to pursue his motorsport passion as a true amateur gentleman racer. He was also a close personal friend of Alfred Neubauer and Karl Kling. Indeed, Von Tripps and Fangio were each a Godfather to Engel's son, Mattias.
In addition to winning the 1955 World Rally Championship, Werner Engel was awarded the Silver Victory Wreath, the highest award for Sport given by the German government, presented by Richard von Frankenberg, the Porsche racing manager at a special ceremony. Karl Kling also drove this car to class victory in the Swedish Grand Prix in the same year (Fangio and Moss won outright in their SLRs) and it is believed to have also been the reconnaissance car for Moss prior to his famous Mille Miglia victory. Apparently Moss bent a front wing on the SL which upset Herr Neubauer, temporarily of course! The factory retained it until 1957 when it was sold to Mr. T. Wilder in the US. Mr. Wilder was President of Collins Radio & Avionics, a company closely associated with Studebaker Packard, also the US distributor for Mercedes-Benz. Happy to drive this special racing car on a daily basis, Mr. Wilder eventually sold it in 1976 to Mr. Harvey Lewis. Mr. Wilder's godson recalls going out in the car on many occasions and also the fact that Mercedes had provided two engines with the car, No. 4500001 (the first production M198) and a spare. Mr. Harvey only kept the car a short time before selling it to Mr. Lothar Hoess and he sold it to the present owner in 1989 at which point it was entrusted to respected marque expert Scott Grundfor for restoration. The decision was taken to restore it to its 1955 Works Racer specification.
Bearing in mind the history at stake, the restoration was undertaken with utmost care. Removing the body from the chassis revealed side members almost identical to the later production roadster but actually 9 inches lower than a Gullwing chassis (high sills being the reason for Gullwings having doors that open as they do). The restorers were somewhat confused by this but an unexpected call from Mattias Engel provided the answer. He was able to supply his father's original racing notes, which confirmed that the additional space beneath the door sills had been used for auxiliary fuel tanks, a big advantage for a rally car in fuel starved post-war Europe. Mattias also confirmed that he and his mother would follow the rally cars in a dark blue 220S Sedan filled with spare parts!
Being a prototype and race modified model, there are a host of further unique features and parts not found on subsequent production cars. These include special racing seats with louvered panels on the backrests, a different steering wheel with small horn push-button, dashboard located clock, competition suspension, wide windshield pillars, differently shaped roof vents and a lower and larger transmission tunnel with recess area for maps and thermos flask. Other differences can be found in the interior trim which lacks the chrome embellishment of the production models and a different center headlining panel and upholstered grab handles. It also has an experimental heating/ventilation system with large polished aluminum four-inch circular floor ducts that direct heat to the foot wells. A further unique feature is the interior push-button door openers, which make the car easily identifiable in period photographs. The restoration was superbly undertaken and the result is difficult to fault. The panelwork is exceptional and the paint finish outstanding. The interior has the original racing seats trimmed in blue wool plaid with louvered back panels. Other period extras include a pair of Halda timing watches, navigator lamps and thermos flask. A complete chance find at an autojumble saw the original Rome-Liege-Rome rally plates (rally number 87) reunited with the car, a final finishing touch to a remarkable effort. The car was subsequently only shown at the Meadowbrook Concours in 1998 where it won its class.
Mercedes-Benz has always made a point of not wasting their racing or experimental cars, unlike some other notable manufacturers. In 1952 there were at least three W194 300SL racers that were modified to different configuration and eventually left the factory in private hands. This car was transformed from experimental prototype to Works racer to daily driver. It is, in our opinion, a fascinating part of Mercedes-Benz history from a period when they were all-conquering in motorsport.