17-05-2022
PROJECTS IN PROCESS
STERLING SILVER SLR
STERLING SILVER SLR | MILLE MIGLIA MERAVIGLIOSA
The Mille Miglia is probably the most famous of all road races, with the 1955 race remaining the greatest edition ever since. It was that year when Stirling Moss would set the average-speed-record of the 1000-mile race, with his co-driver and journalist Denis Jenkinson being the first to navigate a driver using notes he made earlier; the very first 'pace notes'
Just like teammate Juan Manuel Fangio, Stirling Moss raced the Mercedes 300 SLR. His starting time of 7.22 was painted in big red numbers on the car and would become a famous livery. The silver arrow had its large drum brakes located inside of the lightweight electron bodywork. Later it would be assisted by the experimental hydraulic air brake. The SLR was powered by one of the first directly injected 8-cilinder line-engines with its signature twin side exhausts piercing out of the right flank of the sleek bodywork.
1955 would be even more successful for Moss and the Mercs, until all was abruptly abandoned with the horrible crash of teammate Pierre Levegh on Le Mans. Mercedes withdrew from motor racing for the next 30 years as a sign of respect for the victims. This choice made the SLRs highly anticipated successor, known as the 'Uhlenhaut Coupe', instantly redundant.
The Mille Miglia remained an icon on the annual motorsports calendar, evolving over the years into a time-trial event that celebrates the classic race cars like the SLR that Moss and Jenkinson drove to victory in 1955.