race car based on the engine and chassis of the Mercedes-Benz W186 limousine. The underpowered car achieved surprising success, winning important sports car races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and inspired the road-going Mercedes-Benz W198 "300SL Gullwing" of 1954. The Mercedes-Benz W196 won the F1 Championship in 1954 and 1955. Uhlenhaut surpassed even Juan Manuel Fangio's times in test sessions. Based on the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR sport racer of 1955, Uhlenhaut created a road legal SLR/SL hybrid. Capable of approaching 290 km/h (180 mph), the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé easily earned the reputation of being the era's fastest road car. A story circulates that running late for a meeting Uhlenhaut roared up the autobahn from Munich to Stuttgart in just over an hour, a 137 mile/220 km journey that today takes two-and-a-half. Rudolf Uhlenhaut, who never owned a car of his own, retired in 1972. In later life he needed hearing aids, possibly due to damage caused by his loud cars. He died in Stuttgart on 8 May 1989. References Notes Bibliography External links Rudolf Uhlenhaut verleiht Mercedes-Benz Flügel 1906 births 1989 deaths Technical University of Munich alumni German automotive engineers Formula One designers Mercedes-Benz Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Engineers from Bremen (state) Mercedes-Benz in Formula One