24h Le Mans
Mercedes 300 SL (1952) : 30 cars and 90 years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 4/30
In 1952, seven years after the end of WW2 and three years after the resumption of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Mercedes scored a superb double and the first win for the German manufacturer in La Sarthe. The 300 SL also won the Carrera Panamericana in Mexico in the same year, one of the toughest road competitions in the world. A road version was available and become one of the most famous post-war sports cars, with its famous gull-wing doors. The victory of Fritz Riess and Hermann Lang also opened the way for Porsche, BMW and Audi now German manufacturers who share over a third of all the winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Year : 20th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (14 & 15 June 1952)
Number of cars entered : Three
Technical information :
3 litre 6 cyl in-line.
Drivers :
Helmut Niedermayer-Theo Helfrich (n°20)
Hermann Lang-Fritz Riess (n°21)
Karl Kling-Hans Klenk (n°22)
Results :
1st (Hermann Lang-Fritz Riess)
2nd (Helmut Niedermayer-Theo Helfrich)
Retired (Karl Kling-Hans Klenk)
