This extremely rare Mercedes may be the most expensive car in history | video, photos

This extremely rare Mercedes may be the most expensive car in history | video, photos

This extremely rare Mercedes may be the most expensive car in history | video, photos

With only two units manufactured, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe is not only one of the rarest cars in the world, but also one of the most expensive. The … 09.09.2021, Sputnik World

2021-09-19 T17: 37 + 0000

2021-09-19 T17: 37 + 0000

2021-09-19 T17: 37 + 0000

Technique

Mercedes Benz

engine

https://cdnmundo1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/09/13/1116212277_95:0:1812:966_1920x0_80_0_0_efcee2119522fefe00c5fd85184414d in the well

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR is famous as the car that dominated the racetracks in the 1950s. In fact, in 1955 this car won every race it entered and finished. He is best known for winning the Mille Miglia Award in the same year with Sir Stirling Moss at the wheel. During this race, Moss and his 300 SLR set a new average speed record: 157,650 km/h over 900 miles of the Italian Peninsula. The coupe version was also designed for racing, and indeed the SLR lettering on its name corresponds to “super racing light”. These are not just words: the body of this car is made entirely of magnesium alloy, which makes it very light and expensive to manufacture. Today’s automakers prefer carbon fiber, which is also very lightweight and strong, but at the same time much cheaper and less fire-resistant. Unfortunately, the 300 SLR Coupé never made it onto the 1950s circuits. The reason was the tragedy at Le Mans in 1955, in which a collision of several cars claimed the lives of 83 spectators and injured more than 180. One of these cars was exactly the 300 SLR, and Mercedes-Benz decided to completely withdraw from motorsport, which means that the project 300 SLR Coupe Has died. Only two test units were built. Rudolf Uhlenhaut, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsports, kept one of the two units as a shared car for personal use, which he drove daily. Today, Mercedes-Benz keeps these wonderful machines in its collection at the Museum. It is estimated that the price of each of these cars is about $ 100 million, the blogger highlights the peculiarities of the 300 SLR When it was designed as a racing car, all technical solutions were implemented in the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR in search of maximum performance without thinking about comfort. An example is the location of the pedals, which are separated by the transmission tray in the middle of the room, and another feature that stands out on the pedals is the leather throttle cover. This also has a functional explanation, which is that it gave a better grip to the pilot’s foot. Likewise, leather was used in other parts of the interior not to add luxury, but because it was one of the most durable materials at the time. The gearbox is very exotic for serial cars, and even more so for any modern car. To be able to change gears, you need to press a button on the lever, and in order to be able to reverse the gear, you must first remove the limiter on the gearbox manually. Another aspect that cannot be seen in ordinary cars is the central braking system. To save weight, Mercedes engineers chose not to install a braking system on each wheel separately, as is the case today. Another advantage this system gave this racing car was that it allowed the brake weight to be moved to the front and center of the car, improving its maneuverability. The number 300 in the car’s name refers to its eight-cylinder engine with a volume of three liters. It generates a power of 310 hp, even more than Formula 1 cars of that time, and allows it to reach 290 km / h. Despite being the fastest car of its era, the 300 SLR didn’t have seat belts, the exhaust system is quite brutal, because it doesn’t have a muffler, and the noise it makes is overwhelming. In fact, Uhlenhaut sustained permanent damage to his ears after driving a 300 SLR for a long time.