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Yesterday marked the start of the modern day Mille Miglia rally. For those of you that are not informed, this is essentially a tribute event held in honor of the original endurance race that spanned about 1,000 miles and took place 24 times between the 1920s through the 1950s.

To show respect, the boys and girls at Petrolicious produced a, predictably, sensational clip devoted to the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR that was piloted by the one and only Sir Stirling Moss.

Yes, we're talking about the iconic "722" car.

Not only did Moss win the race in 1955, he also set the record for the fastest time in the event's history. Because the real deal Mille Miglia ceased to exist post 1957, it is likely that it will never be contended for again.

This means that the "722" 300 SLR is actually rolling history.

Learn more about the race and this priceless vintage three-pointed star by scoping out the clip below.




Few triumphs have inspired drivers like Sir Stirling Moss’ victory at the 1955 Mille Miglia. Then just 25 years old, driver Moss and co-driver Denis Jenkinson roared through 992 miles of Italian countryside in just 10 hours, 7 minutes and 48 seconds. Average speed? 98.53 miles per hour.

Here, Moss tells the story of his victory in his own words.

“Once the flag fell, I went flat out,” said Moss. “Obviously, when I’d see a car I caught up with, I really felt great about it, but I had no idea of the enormity of what it meant to myself because it’s really—it’s quite the thing to have on your CV.”

Finishing ahead of the then-two times Grand Prix World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio, Moss’ achievement has long since been labeled “The greatest race”—a title that probably won’t be applied to any other motorsport event ever again. The 1955 Mille Miglia had it all: incredible drivers, now-iconic machines like the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR #722, and a harrowing course that was dangerous beyond belief.

How dangerous? Moss said he had to wiggle the car from left to right on the road so that spectators would take a few steps back as he flew through the often small Italian towns along the route.

“Oh, I’m certain it’s my greatest win,” said Moss. “I can’t think of any other car in the world that would have given me the opportunity to achieve the speeds we did.”

Called SLR for Sport Leicht-Rennen (“Sport Light-Racing” in English) the 300 SLR was the world’s most advanced race car of its time: direct fuel-injected straight-8 engine, roughly 310 horsepower, and a top speed of around 180 mph (290 km/h).

“The 722 is a really strong car…” said Moss. “The fact the car’s really old doesn’t matter—that car, the way it is now, I reckon we’d beat any other cars, anyway!”




VIDEO: The HERO Car Of Italy's Toughest Endurance Race, The Mille Miglia — Stirling Moss'

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