Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe (1955)

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe (1955)Limited to an edition of 199 pieces Finished in Silver Grey Metallic Based on The Blue, chassis 00007 55 1: 8 scale model, over 53 cms 21 inches long Each model hand built and assembled by a small team of artisans Made using the finest quality materials Over 4000 hours to develop the model Over 400 hours to build the model Thousands of precisely engineered parts: castings, photo etchings and CNC machined metal components Built using our own CAD data

• Limited to an edition of 199 pieces
• Finished in Silver Grey Metallic
• Based on “The Blue”, chassis 00007/55
• 1:8 scale model, over 53 cms/21 inches long
• Each model hand-built and assembled by a small team of artisans
• Made using the finest quality materials
• Over 4000 hours to develop the model
• Over 400 hours to build the model
• Thousands of precisely engineered parts: castings, photo-etchings and CNC machined metal components
• Built using our own CAD data developed after scanning original car chassis 00007/55 on display at the Mercedes-Benz Museum
• Created in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz using original drawings and archive photography

In 1955, Rudolf Uhlenhaut created the 300 SLR Coupé - a car that redefined the limits of possibility. Weighing just 998 kg, with 302 PS and a 5-speed manual gearbox, it fused Formula 1 technology with road-ready precision, at the very edge of what was technologically achievable. Faster than the era’s champions yet never raced, it became legend: a tangible myth of speed, power, and ingenuity.

A Beauty Birthed from the Spirit of Motorsport

In the 1950s, Mercedes-Benz returned to motorsports, eager to revive their triumphs of the 1920s and ‘30s. While Juan Manuel Fangio dominated the 1954 and 1955 Formula 1 World Championships in his W196, Mercedes-Benz was developing the 300 SLR - Super Leicht Rennsport - for the Sports Car World Championship. Stirling Moss drove his open-top racer to victory at the Targa Florio and RAC Tourist Trophy, and famously completed the legendary Mille Miglia in record time, sealing the 1955 world title. The 300 SLR was blisteringly fast, far beyond any competition, but its open cockpit left its drivers exposed to wind and weather. Uhlenhaut devised the simple yet ingenious solution: adding a closed roof. This gave drivers greater comfort while dramatically reducing aerodynamic drag. The result was the 300 SLR Coupé. Yet it never competed. The Carrera Panamericana, where it was due to debut, was cancelled, and Mercedes-Benz withdrew from motorsports at the end of the year to focus on the development of passenger cars.

Beyond the Limits of Technological Possibilities

Rudolf Uhlenhaut famously used the fastest car of its era as his company car, capable of 300 km/h at a time when most German sports cars struggled to reach 200. Mechanically indistinguishable from the SLR roadsters, the Uhlenhaut Coupe carried the 3-litre, straight-eight W 196 S engine, a bored and stroked version of the 2.5-litre F1 motor, re-tuned to run on commercial petrol. The Coupé also shared the longest of the F1 wheelbases. Featuring double wishbone suspension up front, swing axles at the rear, inboard drum brakes, and a brazed steel tube spaceframe chassis clothed in ultra-light Elektron magnesium-alloy bodywork, the Coupé weighed just 1,117 kg (2,463 lb). It was not only a masterpiece of engineering, but also a benchmark for how far road-going technology could be pushed.

A Pair Like No Other and a Lasting Legacy

Only nine 300 SLRs were built, and among them just two racing prototype Coupés: chassis 0007/55 and 0008/55. Known affectionately as “The Blue” and “The Red” after the colours of their respective interior upholstery, the pair are not perfect twins, though many of their subtle distinctions are only detectable to only the most devoted on connoisseurs. Of the pair “The Red” has enjoyed the longest public life and, in May 2022, was sold to a private bidder for €135 million euros at an auction held in the Mercedes-Benz Museum, smashing the record as the most valuable car in the world.

1956 Munich-Eching Test Drive  

Our scale model of “The Blue” captures the 300 SLR Coupé exactly as it appeared in the spring of 1956, when Rudolf “Rudy” Uhlenhaut, head of Mercedes‑Benz testing and the driving force behind the car’s development, took the machine onto the Munich–Eching autobahn for a high speed test drive, accompanied by British journalist George Wilkins. With the road closed by German police for this remarkable display before the trade press, the SLR was free to reach an astonishing speed of 180 mph - affirming its status as one of the fastest road‑going machines of its era.  

For Wilkins, the day became a defining showcase of the car’s character and capabilities. Wilkins later described the experience as “a revelation: an object lesson in performance and how to use it,” marvelling at the effortless authority with which Uhlenhaut commanded the SLR at immense speeds. With Uhlenhaut behind the wheel, the SLR proved its prowess as it swept along the autobahn, surging from 0–100 mph and returning to a standstill within just 550 yards, and at speeds that would unsettle most cars, the SLR remained composed, to the point where “100 to 120 mph becomes cruising speed”. Even its braking impressed, delivering firm deceleration “at 100 mph or more without the slightest drama.” In Wilkin’s account, this extraordinary car had “eclipsed” two decades of prior experience test driving the world’s finest cars, and he did not “expect to find its match for a long time to come”. The SLR did more than display sheer pace - it set a new benchmark for refinement, control and engineering mastery among road cars of its time.   

This historic occasion led to a larger collaboration between Wilkins and Robert Braunschweig, editor of Automobil Revue of Switzerland, made possible through the courtesy of the Daimler-Benz management, during which the SLR undertook an arduous 2,000‑mile road test through Germany, Switzerland and Italy. The SLR navigated treacherous mountain hairpins, rocky tracks and varied weather and road conditions, but only on the Munich autobahn did official timekeepers employ precision equipment to measure the Coupé’s performance. Our model of the Uhlenhaut Coupé 300 SLR commemorates this exceptional moment, preserving the day it proved the engineering brilliance that would shape the SLR’s enduring reputation.

Chassis 00007/55 Replicated at 1:8 Scale

This fine 1:8 scale model of precisely replicates Mercedes-Benz chassis 00007/55, known as “The Blue”. It has been handcrafted and finished in our workshops with the co-operation and assistance of Mercedes-Benz regarding original finishes, materials, archive imagery and drawings. The use of supremely accurate digital scanning on the original car has allowed us to perfectly recreate every detail at scale. Furthermore, it has undergone detailed scrutiny by both engineering and design teams to ensure complete accuracy of representation.

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR ‘Uhlenhaut Coupe’ is limited to just 199 pieces at 1:8 scale.