RE: Mercedes SLR Stirling Moss
Discussion
Vintageseekers said:
ir Stirling Moss defied death so many times when you consider the greats that died in his era. He deserves the highest respect, the very fact that he presents the car to the corner puts him in a completely different league to most driver wannabees, me included. Just read the history on the Mille miglia and just absorb the shear skill requires to drive a 1950s car at 170 miles an hour on open roads he managed an avg speed of 98 mph inc mountain passes. 10 hrs at constant race pace, then he'd drive it back to Germany.
There are so many incredible side-stories that add to that magnificent drive too, like the way he'd have to overtake Isettas driven by local chancers who just turned up on the day - can you imagine tanking along at 170mph+ (180mph according to Sir Stirling) and coming up on a 50mph Isetta in the middle of the narrow road, oblivious to the fact that it's doors where about to be rattled clean off!? "Hmmm… which side of my SLR shall I put on the verge as I pass him?"I think it's almost impossible to comprehend exactly what it took to set that record.
The_Doc said:
red_slr said:
Very nice, much prefer that to the standard SLR. Great name too.
agreed.why didn't they make the original SLR look like this instead of a mildy pimped up SL55 AMG?
Gruffy said:
Vintageseekers said:
ir Stirling Moss defied death so many times when you consider the greats that died in his era. He deserves the highest respect, the very fact that he presents the car to the corner puts him in a completely different league to most driver wannabees, me included. Just read the history on the Mille miglia and just absorb the shear skill requires to drive a 1950s car at 170 miles an hour on open roads he managed an avg speed of 98 mph inc mountain passes. 10 hrs at constant race pace, then he'd drive it back to Germany.
Gruffy said:
There are so many incredible side-stories that add to that magnificent drive too, like the way he'd have to overtake Isettas driven by local chancers who just turned up on the day - can you imagine tanking along at 170mph+ (180mph according to Sir Stirling) and coming up on a 50mph Isetta in the middle of the narrow road, oblivious to the fact that it's doors where about to be rattled clean off!? "Hmmm… which side of my SLR shall I put on the verge as I pass him?"
In fairness, were they really "local chancers"? The Mille Miglia format was a handicap race, with the slower cars starting much earlier (many, many hours). Therefore the only way for the faster cars to win was by overtaking the entire field. That was the format, and so everybody would expect an awful lot of high-relative-speed overtaking to take place.Gruffy said:
I think it's almost impossible to comprehend exactly what it took to set that record.
For some reason I'm reminded of the late James Hunt, who once said that it took him at least a couple of years after passing his test before he realised that the reason he always beat everybody else on the roads was that they weren't racing him...Am I the only one who can think of nothing more challenging, exciting or satisfying than taking part in one of those events? But then perhaps I'm lucky to have been brought up, and begun driving, in a part of the world where (and at a time when) driving very fast for much of the time on public roads was achievable comparatively safely, albeit at much lower speeds than these.
For those of us who truly enjoy the challenge of driving quickly on "real" roads, there are essentially very few events left - a few special stages here and there, but nothing to compare with events like this (if you exclude ludicrous hoons like Gumball...) I wonder, what would it take to do something like this, somewhere?
worpdrive said:
In reply to 'majic torch', I think that the programme was about Moss and the late Ian Wooldridge the sports journalist doing the Mille Miglia retro in the 80's or 90's- I have, somewhere, a copy on video recorded from the tv and it is a great programme. The two were obviously good mates and the insight Wooldridge gives into what it must be like to be the uncompromising,touched by true genius 'Superhero' that is Stirling Moss is terrific- plus some awesome in-car footage from 'old 722' .
I am not a 'techie' but you are welcome to borrow it if there is a way to transfer the contents onto something else....
In essence transferring from VHS to something else (onto a computer, onto a DVD recorder, whatever) is as simple as hooking up a cable and pressing record, in much the same way as we used to, ah-hem, "borrow" friends' tapes in the 80s. However getting it right is complicated, because of the scanning frequency of the VHS, which will almost never be in sync with the input on the recording device, and so on.I am not a 'techie' but you are welcome to borrow it if there is a way to transfer the contents onto something else....
I've got a special graphics card on a PC which will allow the computer input to be synchronised to the VHS signal, which makes things much easier, and some software to help things along. With those things it is fairly straightforward.
skwdenyer said:
In fairness, were they really "local chancers"? The Mille Miglia format was a handicap race, with the slower cars starting much earlier (many, many hours). Therefore the only way for the faster cars to win was by overtaking the entire field. That was the format, and so everybody would expect an awful lot of high-relative-speed overtaking to take place.
Yes, they really were. Italy being Italy, if you turned up on the day with enough folding they'd happily paint numbers on your car and find you a slot on the grid. It's that sort of mentality that allowed the MM to exist in the first place though – I'm not knocking it, I'm celebrating it!The race was a timed race, rather than a handicap race. The competitors set off in 1 minute intervals (2 minute intervals for the fastest class). It's a crazy system but it had to be that way because the alternative would have seen the event last for twice the duration and it just wasn't feasible, given that it used the main roads of the day.
Personally I'm quite jealous that I didn't live in a time where these types of events existed. I'd no doubt have added to the substantial tally of casualties with my enthusiasm not quite living up to my abilities, but, perversely, that's part of the appeal.
forzaminardi said:
What a load of complete b*llocks. The McMerc SLR has had more 'special editions' than the Citroen Saxo! Best for all concerned if they just admitted the whole thing is an utter abortion and let it die. What a hideous car.
This is the 2nd/3rd (depending on how you count them) over 5 years, that's a lot is it ?The SLR has already sold 50% MORE than the Carrera GT (similar cost/performance)which ended production early because of poor sales , that make it an "utter abortion" does it ?
You could have just you didn't like it which would have been OK as its your personal opinion instead of talking factual b*llocks.
worpdrive said:
magic torch said:
worpdrive said:
The same the one- it was Sienna and there was no-one (comparatively) there in the square- Moss was really unimpressed as they had, in his view, all come to see him (and he was probably right!) No idea how to make a copy but you're welcome if you do.........
That's it!!! 
Not sure how you'd make a copy either, I don't even have a VCR now.
Andy
forzaminardi said:
What a load of complete b*llocks. The McMerc SLR has had more 'special editions' than the Citroen Saxo! Best for all concerned if they just admitted the whole thing is an utter abortion and let it die. What a hideous car.
Bloody hell, are the decorators in? chill out. Let me guess, you drive an poverty spec, generic grey, A4 1.9tdi.RFSA 180 said:
forzaminardi said:
What a load of complete b*llocks. The McMerc SLR has had more 'special editions' than the Citroen Saxo! Best for all concerned if they just admitted the whole thing is an utter abortion and let it die. What a hideous car.
Bloody hell, are the decorators in? chill out. Let me guess, you drive an poverty spec, generic grey, A4 1.9tdi.
andyparrott said:
worpdrive said:
magic torch said:
worpdrive said:
The same the one- it was Sienna and there was no-one (comparatively) there in the square- Moss was really unimpressed as they had, in his view, all come to see him (and he was probably right!) No idea how to make a copy but you're welcome if you do.........
That's it!!! Not sure how you'd make a copy either, I don't even have a VCR now.
Andy
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