Racing cars had contributed so much to history, together with the ones with BMW 2800 parts and others of the same kind. But, in the nineteenfifties, those were not the only vehicles that flourished. In the same decade, the world’s fastest racing car transporter broke to fame. It has been a reason why Mercedes Benz hit the headlines off the racetracks.

Would you want to know how it all started? Autospeed.com has the juice: “In 1952 the board of management of Daimler-Benz decided that in two years time, 1954, it would return to Grand Prix racing. The company’s racing department, which had already set up the extremely successful 300 SL racing sports cars in 1952, set out to translate the plans for a Grand Prix car – internally designated W 196 – into reality.”

In relation to that, they needed to equip a workshop vehicle for servicing and repairs alongside the racetrack, and opted to build a truck for transporting the racing cars. Team chief Neubauer has been thinking to have a fast racing car transporter and he couldn’t, even quite, get his mind off the idea. And so, he then presented the thought to master craftsman Hagele, where he mentioned “Come up with something good!” as final words of encouragement.

Hagele, as head of a test department in which chassis and running gear technicians, engine specialists and bodymakers produced prototypes, has then specified the demands in creating a racing car transporter: considering the need for speed, it therefore requires plenty of power and equally powerful brakes… That was the start. And, it will be the only record that can be possibly presented, since it is already difficult to trace back the details in the entire process of its production. What we can hold on to is that the vehicle is a joint development of Hagele’s team.

Let’s jump to the design of the fastest racing car transporter… It was Engineer Hennige who suggested the combination of the X-shaped tubular frame from the 300 S, the high performance engine from the 300 SL and interior fittings from the 180. Rudolf Uhlenhaut approved and so they started to set it up. From that concept, they were able to create a truly unique and incomparably fast car that possesses stunning looks and technical perfection that measures 6750 mm in length, 2000 mm in width and 1750 mm in height and painted in Mercedes Benz blue.

Both the exterior and interior design was actually impressive. How each part has been placed contributed much in its high-ranked performance. The team even sustained it with safety, enhanced by a disc brake installed between propeller shaft and differential as well as by an exhaust brake.

The transporter’s engine was very special.  The 3 L six-cylinder in-line engine produces high torque with a top speed of 160-170 km/h.

According to a retired member of the staff, “For us in the racing department, this vehicle was a blessing. We often had a few more hours to complete the setup or the last modifications on a racing car with greater care and less pressure. By the same token, a damaged or defective car was returned to us more quickly, giving us more time for repairs. After every race, the cars were dismantled and checked, defective parts were replaced, repaired or modified and adapted to the relevant driver.”

They say, “The racing car transporter was a sensation on European roads and motorways during its active time from mid-1954 until the fall of 1955, when Daimler-Benz withdrew from racing again. The vehicle even became a star in the paddocks, where it often attracted larger crowds than the racing cars.”

The transporter, together with the 300 SLR, was shipped across the Atlantic, where both caused a sensation to the crowds in the exhibitions.

The Mercedes Benz Museum became the transporter’s final resting place along with a 300 SLR. However, through time, it was proved to be too heavy for the old floors of the museum. Reconstruction prevented the display of the tandem. It needed to do duty in the testing department until it was beyond repair and finally abandoned at Rudolf Uhlenhaut’s command in December of 1967.

After several years, Mercedes Benz Museum opted to rebuild the transporter since it marked in the history. In 1993, they gave the task to Messrs MIKA GmbH in Molln in the north of Germany, specialists in the restoration of motor vehicles, for them to restore its true-to-the-original style based from photos and data they were able to gather. The job took about 6000 working hours for redesigning and building the racing car transported, which is equivalent to seven years of fiddling, elaborating the steering and gearshift geometries, designing the cable harness, manufacturing the cab’s rear windows and all the details to be found under the sheet metal skin. And, that’s definitely a great task they had to perfect.

For some important purpose, of which mostly regards with safety, the specialists needed to use newer parts such as 1989 SL disc brakes. They have also omitted the disc brake between propeller shaft and differential. Since they are more concerned with having the same as the original transporter, they have retained all other technical data and features such as engine output, axle configuration, transmission spacing, exterior dimensions, bucket-type seats complete with upholstery fabrics, the locations of the rev counter, and the dimensions of the access rails.