Images

Rudolf Uhlenhaut was the designer of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR. At the time, it was one of the most advanced cars of the era, and the only reason it didn’t win everywhere was because Mercedes pulled out of motorsports after the 1955 Le Mans tragedy. So after Mercedes was out of the racing business, there were a couple 300 SLR race cars gathering dust in some warehouse in Stuttgart.

You know that expression “street legal racing car”? Well, very probably this was the first one of them all. Being director of engineering at Mercedes-Benz had a few perks, so Uhlenhaut was allowed to use one of the 300 SLR as his company car. He adapted some mufflers for the car and made the cockpit less spartan, and transformed an almost-Le-Mans-winner into his personal company car.

A fast company car, that is.

I just added the Automuseum Protyp Hamburg to my bucket list of places to visit in Germany. From their page:

Since 2008, Automuseum PROTOTYP presents on approx. 2,500 m² rare sports and racing cars from 70 years of automotive history. On display in the carefully modernized factory building are prototypes – well, but not only prototypes. Also, the museum looks at itself as a “prototype” for the concept of the exhibition which is experience-oriented, interactive and multimedia. To allow a sensitive look, the valuable cars are displayed without barrage.

The German term “Personen. Kraft. Wagen.” (English: Persons. Power. Cars.) is associated with the common German abbreviation “PKW” for a passenger car and thus creating the well chosen motto of the museum, as it not only presents seldom historic vehicles, but also gives an interesting insight into the lives of those Persons who made the automobile sport great. Another issue is the Power (in German “Kraft”), be it as the power of the engines, as the creativity of the designs or as the desire to win a race. The Cars (in German “Wagen”) on display – from self-built cars of the early post-war period to prototypes of modern Formula 1 cars – give an impression of the fascination of this subject in different facets.

More information HERE.