364 Mercedes W194 (1952)
Mercedes W194 (1952) Engine 2995cc S6 Production 10
ENTRANT: Mercedes-Benz Classic Centre
DRIVERS: Sir Jackie Stewart + Paul Stewart
Registration Number W59-4029 (Germany)
MERCEDES SET
www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623671722255...
In 1951 Daimler-Benz decided to return to motorsports. The W194 was built in just nine months and marked the debut of the now famous 'SL' suffix, denoting Sport and Light. The space-frame structure consisted of a delicate lattice of numerous triangles and was extremely stiff and light. To achieve optimum strength, the frame was raised at the sides - a design that necessitated the use of the now legendary gullwing doors.
The 1952 racing season was to prove an exceptionally successful one for Mercedes-Benz, second and fourth places in the Mille Miglia, a threefold victory in the 'Prix de Berne' sports car race, double victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, fourfold victory in the Nürburgring Anniversary Sports Car Grand Prix and a double victory in the 3rd Carrera Panamericana in Mexico.
Mercedes had returned to racing with a vengance.
Its M 194 engine was derived from the engine used in the Mercedes-Benz 300 prestige saloon, also known as the 'Adenauer Mercedes'. For its use in the racing car, the engineers increased the output to around 170 hp (125 kW). The racing engine, equipped wîth dry sump lubrication, is canted at an angle of 50 degrees to the left.
The body of this first SL preempts certain elements of the later series-production sports car model. Among these are the low bonnet of the pre-war racing cars, wîth a Mercedes star mounted on the grille of the cooling air intake. The famous swing-wing doors are a characteristic feature of the Coupé: they are cut deep into the roof, open upwards and were originally conceived purely as access hatches that opened only as far as the beltline. During preparations for the '24 Hours of Le Mans' the door openings were enlarged, giving the even more pronounced effect of extended wings. This led to the car being nicknamed the 'Gullwing' by the Americans and 'Papillon' (Butterfly) by the French. In two races the 300 SL appeared wîth a Roadster body rather than as a 'Gullwing' model
The body shell is made out of sheet aluminium/magnesium, some of the mechanical components of aluminium or magnesium, while various parts are bored to make them lighter. Another way of improving competitiveness was to make the body as aerodynamic as possible. Rudolf Úhlenhaut, who was the head of passenger car testing at Daimler-Benz at that time, developed a special framework for the W 194, weighing just 50 kilograms. This is made out of very fine, high-alloy steel tubes designed to absorb tensile and compression forces.
A total of ten W 194 vehicles were built for the 1952 season. A successor model was also developed in readiness for the following year which, as the eleventh SL to be built, is also known as the W 194/11. It never did race in the 1953 season, however. From 1954 onwards Mercedes-Benz competed in Formula 1 racing, while the W 194 was developed further to become the 300 SL series-production sports car (W 198).
Shot the Goodwood Festival of Speed 30:06:2012 Ref: 87-364
364 Mercedes W194 (1952)
Mercedes W194 (1952) Engine 2995cc S6 Production 10
ENTRANT: Mercedes-Benz Classic Centre
DRIVERS: Sir Jackie Stewart + Paul Stewart
Registration Number W59-4029 (Germany)
MERCEDES SET
www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623671722255...
In 1951 Daimler-Benz decided to return to motorsports. The W194 was built in just nine months and marked the debut of the now famous 'SL' suffix, denoting Sport and Light. The space-frame structure consisted of a delicate lattice of numerous triangles and was extremely stiff and light. To achieve optimum strength, the frame was raised at the sides - a design that necessitated the use of the now legendary gullwing doors.
The 1952 racing season was to prove an exceptionally successful one for Mercedes-Benz, second and fourth places in the Mille Miglia, a threefold victory in the 'Prix de Berne' sports car race, double victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, fourfold victory in the Nürburgring Anniversary Sports Car Grand Prix and a double victory in the 3rd Carrera Panamericana in Mexico.
Mercedes had returned to racing with a vengance.
Its M 194 engine was derived from the engine used in the Mercedes-Benz 300 prestige saloon, also known as the 'Adenauer Mercedes'. For its use in the racing car, the engineers increased the output to around 170 hp (125 kW). The racing engine, equipped wîth dry sump lubrication, is canted at an angle of 50 degrees to the left.
The body of this first SL preempts certain elements of the later series-production sports car model. Among these are the low bonnet of the pre-war racing cars, wîth a Mercedes star mounted on the grille of the cooling air intake. The famous swing-wing doors are a characteristic feature of the Coupé: they are cut deep into the roof, open upwards and were originally conceived purely as access hatches that opened only as far as the beltline. During preparations for the '24 Hours of Le Mans' the door openings were enlarged, giving the even more pronounced effect of extended wings. This led to the car being nicknamed the 'Gullwing' by the Americans and 'Papillon' (Butterfly) by the French. In two races the 300 SL appeared wîth a Roadster body rather than as a 'Gullwing' model
The body shell is made out of sheet aluminium/magnesium, some of the mechanical components of aluminium or magnesium, while various parts are bored to make them lighter. Another way of improving competitiveness was to make the body as aerodynamic as possible. Rudolf Úhlenhaut, who was the head of passenger car testing at Daimler-Benz at that time, developed a special framework for the W 194, weighing just 50 kilograms. This is made out of very fine, high-alloy steel tubes designed to absorb tensile and compression forces.
A total of ten W 194 vehicles were built for the 1952 season. A successor model was also developed in readiness for the following year which, as the eleventh SL to be built, is also known as the W 194/11. It never did race in the 1953 season, however. From 1954 onwards Mercedes-Benz competed in Formula 1 racing, while the W 194 was developed further to become the 300 SL series-production sports car (W 198).
Shot the Goodwood Festival of Speed 30:06:2012 Ref: 87-364