Mille Miglia-winning 300 SLR Mercedes to star at Historic Festival Sept. 3-7
LAKEVILLE, Conn. (March 3, 2015) – Murray Smith, chairman of Lime Rock Park’s Labor Day Weekend historic festival, today announced that Mercedes-Benz has confirmed that the factory will send to Connecticut’s Northwest Corner “722,” the 300 SLR sports car with which Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson stormed to victory in the 1955 Mille Miglia. Also coming from the factory collection will be a W196 Formula One Grand Prix car of the type that Juan Manuel Fangio and Moss finished first and second in the world championship the same year.
On hand to drive the cars at Lime Rock will be Sir Stirling himself as well as Mercedes Classic official driver Jochen Mass, who of course won the 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Sauber Mercedes C9, in addition to being the winningest driver of the Group C era. Jochen’s C.V. includes a Formula One victory for McLaren and a win at the 1987 Sebring 12 Hours, teamed with Bobby Rahal in the Bayside Porsche 962.
Smith said, “Stirling’s drive to victory in the Mille Miglia is one of the outstanding sporting feats of the 20th century… right up there with Roger Bannister’s sub-4-minute mile and Jean-Claude Killy’s three gold medals in the 1968 Grenoble Winter Olympics.
“It is probably the single greatest drive of all time in motorsports.”
Smith continued, “We are delighted that Mercedes have honored us with this gesture. We are planning to reciprocate by underlining the three pointed star’s outstanding sporting and engineering legacy as we organize a truly great display of the company’s cars from the last 10 decades.”
This exemplary gathering of Mercedes-Benz machinery will stand-out at Historic Festival 33 even as the grounds are graced with 280 vintage and historic cars in nine racing groups Friday, Saturday and Monday, and on Sunday when more than 900 vehicles of the highest calibre are on display for the Sunday in the Park Concours d’ Elegance (220 vehicles) and its concomitant Gathering of the Marques (700+).
Sources: Rick Roso/Lime Rock Park PR
About the Historic Festival Since 1983, the East Coast’s premier vintage racing and concours event has been the Historic Festival at Lime Rock Park, held annually over Labor Day weekend. No other venue in the U.S. has three days of on-track racing sandwiching a prestigious concours event – all on the same property, all at the same time. Historic Festival 33 is Thursday, September 3 (17-mile Vintage Race Car Parade) through Monday, September 7, while the Sunday in the Park Concours d’ Elegance & Gathering of the Marques is September 6. Historic Festival 33 features Honored Guests Sir Stirling Moss and Jochen Mass, and one of the most distinctive gatherings of Mercedes-Benz cars in recent memory. Schedule: Thursday, Vintage Race Car Parade; Friday, Practice & Qualifying; Saturday, 18 races and demonstration laps; Sunday in the Park Concours; Monday, 18 races and demonstration laps. Visitlimerockhistorics.com