Petrolicious Revisits Stirling Moss's Historic Mille Miglia Victory in the Mercedes 300 SLR
The 22nd Mille Miglia open-road endurance race in 1955 went down in the history books for Sir
The 22nd Mille Miglia open-road endurance race in 1955 went down in the history books for Sir Stirling Moss, then a fresh-faced 25-year-old and co-driver Denis Jenkinson’s record time, covering 992 miles of Italian countryside in a fleeting 10 hours and seven minutes, at a staggering average speed of 98.53 mph, all the while dodging spectators who would wander onto the race course. Moss’s victory over then-two-time Grand Prix World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio was made possible by the now-iconic Mercedes 300 SLR, boldly emblazoned with “722” across the silver body — as the most advanced race car of its time, the SLR, which stood for “Sport Light Racing,” boasted a direct fuel-injected straight-8 engine, roughly 310 horsepower, and a top speed of around 180 mph (290 km/h). Although discontinued 1957, the Mille Miglia was revived in 1977 as a regularity race for vintage cars produced no later than 1957, and as such Moss’s record is unlikely to ever be beaten. Watch the account of the historic motoring event above, as told by Moss himself, and find the rest of Petrolicious‘s videos here.
