Legendary: Mercedes 300 SLS meets SLR Stirling Moss for driving appointment

(Motorsport-Total.com/Motor1) – There are dates that a car journalist never forgets. Not because of a spectacular world premiere or an especially exotic race track. But because suddenly two cars stand before you that you otherwise only know from museums, books, or old factory photos. At the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center, the 300 SLS and the SLR McLaren Stirling Moss are waiting. More than five decades lie between them. And yet both tell the same story.

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Even before the first engine stirs, it is clear that this day will be different. Between the halls of Mercedes-Benz Classic stand two of the most uncompromising open sports cars the manufacturer has ever built. The thought of being allowed to drive them yourself immediately triggers anticipation and reverence alike. After all, these are not ordinary vintage cars or collectibles, but vehicles with an almost incalculable historical value.

The obligatory paperwork for insurance and vehicle handover provides some reassurance. Comprehensive insurance without deductible takes the greatest financial pressure off. Still, the feeling remains that you don’t want to make any mistakes here. These cars are far more than metal and technology. They tell motorsport history. Some parts simply cannot be replaced today.

The almost forgotten ancestor

I may start with the older of the two. The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLS. Although even many Mercedes fans hardly know its name, it is one of the most extraordinary vehicles in the brand’s history.

In 1957, Mercedes built only two examples of the open racing car. The basis was the then-new 300 SL Roadster. Because the Sports Car Club of America did not allow the production roadster in the desired class, Mercedes developed an uncompromising racing version. Bumpers disappeared, weight was consistently reduced, and a small racing windscreen replaced the windshield. In the end, the 300 SLS weighed around 360 kilograms less than the roadster and delivered more power at the same time. Paul O’Shea won the American sports car championship in class D with it convincingly.

Photo series: Mercedes-Benz Classic 300 SLS and SLR Stirling Moss

Neither of these two originals is considered freely accessible today. Mercedes-Benz Classic has therefore built a vehicle based on historical documents that conveys the character of the racing car of the time as authentically as possible. Exactly this car now stands before me.

The ultimate time travel

Just getting in feels like an extreme time travel. No assistance systems. No displays. No driving programs. Just a large steering wheel, a few instruments, and two sports seats. The inline six-cylinder starts already at the first turn of the key as if it had only been turned off yesterday.

At a standstill, everything seems predictably rustic. The gearbox initially sticks a bit and the steering requires considerable effort. I briefly wonder if this might become tiring over the next kilometers. But as soon as the car rolls, these doubts almost completely disappear.

Suddenly, the 300 SLS drives surprisingly lightly. The large steering wheel conveys a wonderfully direct feeling for the front axle. Every small movement lands immediately on the road. At the same time, the car demands attention. The narrow tires set physical limits early, and the braking system reminds you that we are in the year 1957.

But that is exactly what makes its charm. The driver works with the car. Every curve, every gear change, and every braking must be consciously executed. Nothing happens on the side. Everything feels mechanical, honest, and immediate. Plus the hard wind in your face, with everything flying around, and that is more than you would expect …

Soundcheck passed!

Almost even more impressive than the driving behavior is the sound. To the right of the vehicle, the practically undamped exhaust protrudes from the rocker panel. Even at idle, the six-cylinder sounds hearty. When accelerating, it develops a soundscape that modern sports cars have almost lost. It gets even better when lifting off the gas pedal. Then the exhaust pops and crackles all by itself. What many manufacturers now simulate electronically is created here completely naturally.

Since you sit completely outdoors, you get the unfiltered enjoyment of this spectacle. The same applies to the smell, which you had long forgotten. Warm oil, unburned fuel, and hot mechanics are constantly in the air. That is exactly how motorsport must have smelled in the fifties. Following behind, however, is not nearly as fun, as we learned later.

A completely different world and yet similar

The switch to the SLR McLaren Stirling Moss could hardly be greater. And at the same time, it feels surprisingly familiar. Fifty-two years of development lie between the two cars. Steel gives way to carbon, a naturally aspirated inline six-cylinder to a brutal supercharged V8. Power rises from 235 to 650 hp.

But the basic idea remains surprisingly similar. Two uncompromising roadsters that subordinate everything to the driving experience. No roof. No real windshield. As little ballast as possible. For maximum driving pleasure. The Stirling Moss is understood as a tribute to the legendary racing driver and his Mille Miglia victory in the Mercedes 300 SLR of 1955.

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The Stirling Moss already impressed me in 2009. Back then, it stood on the exhibition stands like a car from another world. I could hardly get enough of this endlessly long hood, the side-exiting exhaust pipes, and the radical roofless shape. That I would actually drive this car myself many years later, I never expected back then.

Just getting in makes it clear that nothing here is ordinary. You climb over the extremely wide carbon rocker panels into the deeply mounted bucket seat. The seating position is more reminiscent of a formula racer than a road car. There is no windshield in the classic sense in front of you. Actually, it is just a small wind deflector.

Helmet? Better enjoy it pure!

The staff at Mercedes-Benz Classic recommend a helmet as a precaution. I decide against it. In retrospect, that was perhaps a bit brave. So the sunglasses have to suffice to keep flies and small stones away, just like with the 300 SLS. Exactly this immediate experience is what makes the appeal of this car.

A press of the start button is enough and the charged V8 awakens with a deep growl. The exhaust pipes protruding from the rocker panels on the sides remain some of the most beautiful details of this car to this day. They look like a design object and at the same time unmistakably announce what is about to happen.

A real character!

Already in the first meters, the SLR demands concentration. The steering is extremely direct and surprisingly heavy. The suspension knows hardly any compliance. Still, nothing feels nervous. Everything feels precise and high-quality. You sit low, almost at the height of the rear axle, while the huge hood seemingly stretches to the horizon. Neither camera nor parking sensors help when maneuvering. So I am glad that a helpful MB employee is ready as a guide when maneuvering.

In normal city traffic, the Stirling Moss then surprises with a completely different side. In automatic mode, it drives almost obediently. You could almost forget that 650 hp are waiting under the long hood. Only when you press the gas pedal a bit more decisively does the supercharger respond with its unmistakable voice.

The real magic, however, begins on open roads. A pull on the left paddle shifter, down two gears, and full throttle. First, you hear the whirring screech of the supercharger, which builds pressure without any delay. A moment later, the V8 takes over the main role. What then flows out of the side tailpipes is hardly describable.

It is not a dull rumble but a metallic, bright roar that becomes more intense with increasing revs. Every tunnel suddenly becomes a stage. Every load change a small concert. You catch yourself repeating the same acceleration again and again, partly encouraged by enthusiastic onlookers in the MB Sprinter in the right lane. The SoKo Autoposer would have a real joy with that …

Two icons among themselves

Here it becomes clear why both cars feel so similar despite their age difference. Both appeal to all senses. The 300 SLS fascinates with smell (may I call it “scent”), vibrations, and its raw mechanics. The Stirling Moss complements this mix with seemingly limitless power and modern driving dynamics. Neither tries to isolate its driver. On the contrary. Both bring him right into the action.

Perhaps that is the greatest compliment you can pay these two Mercedes. Despite their historical significance, they do not feel like museum pieces. They want to be driven. That is exactly what they were built for. You notice it with every curve, every gear change, and every strong press on the gas pedal.

For me, this day was far more than a test drive with two extraordinary automobiles. It was a journey through two eras of Mercedes sports car history. The 300 SLS shows how uncompromising the brand already thought in the fifties. The SLR McLaren Stirling Moss translates this philosophy into the 21st century, more radically than almost any other production vehicle.

During the drives in the Stuttgart area, the original terrain of these cars, we were met with nothing but open enthusiasm from the quite knowledgeable and certainly somewhat spoiled pedestrian audience. When MB Classic brings out such treasures, mobile phone cameras naturally run hot.

When I hand back both keys at the end of the day, gratitude remains above all. Gratitude that Mercedes-Benz Classic not only preserves these automobiles but regularly moves them. History does not live behind barriers. It only lives when a large bakelite steering wheel sets in motion, an inline six-cylinder smells of hot oil, or a supercharged V8 rushes full force toward the rev limiter. You can hardly get closer to the soul of a brand.

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