When one considers the 1955 Mille Miglia, thoughts immediately turn to victorious Englishmen Sir Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson in the number 722 Mercedes-Benz SLR. In the Mille, car numbers signified departure times. Slower cars went first; the faster machines left later. Three hours ahead of Moss and Jenks, American John Fitch and his co-driver Kurt Gessl left in a Gullwing 300 SL emblazoned with the number 417. The pair went on to win the Production Sports Car class, taking a serious-business 5th overall. And now, following in the footsteps of the SLR McLaren Edition 722, Stuttgart has announced the SL Special Edition “Mille Miglia 417”, set to debut at next month’s Geneva Auto Show. The quotes, apparently, are part of the name.
Those who opt to honor the late Fitch through the acquisition of something other than one of his Corvair Sprints can now purchase a brand-new Mercedes SL with red accents on the chin spoiler and rear apron, and a coat of matte black paint to pair with the matte carbon-fiber accents. Europeans can also opt for a white finish, and they’ve got a choice of powerplants: the turbo-V-6 SL400 and V-8 SL500 are both eligible for the 417 upgrade.
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Stateside, our only option is the Tufnel-strength SL550, which features the same 429-hp engine as the Euro 500. It is, however, 50 better, isn’t it? Benz’s Active Body Control system is an option; adaptive adjustable dampers are standard. Wheels are 19s up the front, 20s in the rear, featuring black spokes and a thin red stripe around the rim. Brake calipers, naturally, are red. The interior on all 417s features red contrast stitching, with a red-accented center console. And just in case one’s passenger is wont to forget about Italy’s storied road race, the headrests are emblazoned with an embossed “SL Mille Miglia” logo.
Of course, if an SL is out of your price range, but you’d still like to pay tribute to the racer, wrencher, and safety innovator, you might look into calling your local highway department and see if they’ve got any used Fitch barrels lying around.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/1L8rOqE
via Agya
