2009 Mercedes - Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss

Chassis No. WDD1999761M900015

When Mercedes-Benz and McLaren unveiled the SLR Stirling Moss in 2009, it stood apart from the usual rhythm of special editions. This was not a trim package or a commemorative badge exercise. It was the exclamation point at the end of the SLR story. Only 75 examples would ever exist, each one hand-built and dedicated to reviving a moment that had defined both the brand and motorsport itself. It was a machine designed not for convenience or luxury, but to capture the raw spirit of one of the greatest victories in racing history.

That story began at 7:22 a.m. on 1 May 1955, when Stirling Moss and navigator Denis Jenkinson launched their Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR into the Mille Miglia. Across a thousand miles of Italian roads, they averaged an astonishing 157 km/h, completing the race in 10 hours, 7 minutes, and 48 seconds. No one before or since has matched that feat. It was an achievement born of courage, endurance, and sheer mechanical excellence that turned the 300 SLR into an icon. More than half a century later, Mercedes sought not to imitate that moment, but to translate its essence into a car for the modern era.

The Stirling Moss is defined as much by what was removed as by what was kept. There is no roof, no windshield, and no side glass to shield from the elements. No infotainment, no electronics to distract. Nothing unnecessary. The result is a car that connects driver to machine with startling directness. Its shape recalls the 1955 racer that inspired it, with its impossibly long hood, its scooped flanks, the vents carved into its bodywork, and even the subtle asymmetry that adds tension to its design. From some angles it appears less like a car than a piece of sculpture, yet it was always intended to be used, not displayed. The brief was simple. Recreate, in contemporary form, the unfiltered thrill that Stirling Moss himself once described.

Beneath the bodywork sits a 5.4-liter AMG supercharged V8, delivering 650 PS and 820 Nm of torque. The brochure sums up this experience by saying, ''A mere dab of the accelerator, and it's as if you had fired a catapult. The SLR shoots away, the sheer acceleration pushing you back into your seat. You break the 100 km/h barrier in less than 3.5 seconds.'' It concludes with, ''The car powers on past the 300 km/h mark. But this is just the start. Your first 26 seconds of SLR Stirling Moss.'' It is as close as one can come today to the unrestrained racing machines of the 1950s.

The body is carbon fiber, lighter by nearly a third than aluminum, and almost 200 kilograms leaner than the already stripped SLR 722 S Roadster. The fully enclosed underbody and large rear diffuser channel airflow with precision, while an automatically rising airbrake adds stability under heavy deceleration. Carbon-ceramic brakes match the engine's ferocity with equal stopping power. Balanced weight distribution and direct steering ensure that the car, though extreme, always feels poised.

Inside, the cabin mirrors the philosophy of the exterior. Every surface is purposeful from its exposed carbon fiber, brushed metal, and leather of the highest quality. The seats are snug, shaped to hold occupants firmly in place at speed. There is no traditional instrumentation beyond what is necessary, and no distractions beyond the signature roar of the V8. At the center console, one detail stands out: Stirling Moss's autograph, etched into polished aluminum beside the gear lever. It is both a tribute and a reminder of the name that shaped this car's identity.

Before the first production car left the line, all 75 examples had been allocated. Only the most loyal SLR clients were invited, traveling to Stuttgart to preview full-scale models and tailor every surface to their own taste. Each car emerged with its own personality, a unique combination of finishes and details, yet all shared the same uncompromising ethos as the continuation of a legend first written on the roads of Italy in 1955.

Ordered new in the Netherlands, this SLR McLaren Stirling Moss was finished in Crystal Laurit Silver Metallic (977). The interior was specified with the striking Black and Red 300 SL Silver Arrow leather interior, and both body-contoured seats, for driver and passenger, were specified in size Small. In keeping with the car's uncompromising, no-frills ethos, the remaining list of equipment is brief, documented only by its Dutch-language books and labels.

Acquired by its original and current owner in November 2009, the car remains in excellent condition today. It has been piloted in three Mille Miglia entries, in 2012, in 2015 to mark the sixtieth anniversary of the 1955 victory by Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson, and again in 2021. Today, it displays just 13,410 kilometers at cataloging and remains in superb condition. It benefits from a recent service in preparation for sale, which combined with its exquisite color combination, inherent rarity of only 75 units ever produced, and visceral connection to the triumphant 1955 Mille Miglia make the SLR Stirling Moss the ultimate addition to any collection. Likely never to be repeated in another production car, this is truly an opportunity not to be missed.