September 2019 Classic & Sports Car 117T
he ultimate sports-racer of
the mid-’50s was undoubt-
edly the Mercedes 300SLR.
In contrast to its rivals, the
Benz was entered exclu-
sively by the factory, with
none of the nine built sold
to privateers. Of six events contested in 1955, the
340bhp masterpiece won five and withdrew
from the lead at Le Mans after Pierre Levegh’s
horrific accident. Although it was designated the
300SLR for marketing reasons, the prototype
was known at the works as the W196S, hinting at
its development from the GP single-seater.
Advanced features included a spaceframe
chassis, desmodromic straight-eight with Bosch
injection, five-speed transaxle and inboard drum
brakes. The SLR famously won on its Mille
Miglia debut, where Stirling Moss and co-driver
Denis Jenkinson averaged 97.95mph across
992 miles. During the 1955 Le Mans the Jaguar
D-type was timed at 185mph on the Mulsanne
while the Mercedes peaked at 179mph, but the
Coupé version posted 180mph when driven by
designer Rudolf Uhlenhaut on a closed autobahn.
Although Mercedes was dominant, the SLR
wasn’t as much fun to drive as the beautifully
balanced Maserati 300S, which Moss rated as his
favourite from this era. Its 3-litre straight-six was
developed from the 250F and, with a five-speed
’box mounted in-unit with the final drive, the
multi-tubular chassis was a joy to control.
Results didn’t reflect the 260bhp car’s poten-
tial, and in 1955 it failed to win a championship
race. Moss began 1956 with victory in Buenos
Aires, but Maserati couldn’t prevent Ferrari
taking the title. “In its general feel and respon-
siveness, the 300S was like the DB3S but even
better balanced,” said Moss. “It was infinitely
superior to any front-engined sports Ferrari.”
Aurelio Lampredi’s dominant four-cylinder
Ferrari F2 engine proved ideal for a line of sportscars, first the 2-litre Mondial, then the Scagli-
etti-bodied 3-litre Monza. Ultimate power was
limited and the handling tricky, particularly with
the earlier transverse-leaf front suspension, but
its meaty torque helped Mike Hawthorn to win
the TT around the Dundrod road circuit, and
the Supercortemaggiore GP at Monza before
the Scuderia switched back to V12s in 1956.
British independents fought hard against the
works teams, and in the Jaguar XK engine they
found the power they needed. Cooper was the
first to try to better the factory C-type with a run
of toolroom sports-racers starting with the
unconventional T33 for wealthy amateur Peter
Whitehead. The prettier T38 failed at Le Mans
and on the Mille Miglia in period, but is now a
regular winner in historics. HWM was another
team to move successfully from single-seaters to
sports cars. It built just two Jaguar-powered
Series II chassis, but the team might have gone
on to greater achievements had founder John
Heath not died on the 1956 Mille Miglia.
Today the values of these glorious machines
mean few are raced, but thankfully they are still
tempted out for the Goodwood Revival. With
the exception of the priceless Mercedes, lucky
owners can still drive them on the open road, too- a key part of their lasting appeal.
THE GREATEST
SPORTS-RACERS
The ’50s was a golden era for sports cars; this group
vied with the Aston and Jaguar for top honours
WORDS MICK WALSH PHOTOGRAPHY MOTORSPORT IMAGESClockwise from main: Moss
and ‘Jenks’ in SLR on 1955
Mille; Cooper-Jaguar of
Peter/Graham Whitehead;
Luigi Musso’s 300S at
Le Mans; Pierro Taruffi
chases Jacques Swaters in
750 Monzas at Dundrod