Why should 722 be the most important car in the world? In a word, ‘Moss’. Sir Stirling Moss to be precise, still the most universally admired racing driver ever; and Moss himself is always quick to point out that 722 is the most famous of all his steeds.

The reason for that is the awe in which the Mille Miglia road race was held back in the 1950s, and the way in which the heroic Moss and Denis Jenkinson victory in 1955 captured the public’s imagination. Here was
England’s own racing hero beating the Italians at their own game, alongside the deeply eccentric Jenks, bearded and studious, reading pace notes from a glorified toilet roll holder of his own invention.

As for the car itself, it rewrote the rule book. Based on the W196 Grand Prix car, there was little that was conventional. The straighteight engine used desmodromic valvegear (valves are mechanically opened and closed rather than simply using springs to close them, for improved precision) and fuel injection (a relatively new technology at the time). Drive was taken from the centre of the crankshaft via a gear, rather than from the end; massive drum brakes were fitted inboard and, for Le Mans, were supplemented by a clever air-brake arrangement; and the rear suspension was an unusual version of the swing axle, less prone to the ‘jacking up’ problems that typical swing axles suffer. The bodywork was produced in the ultra-lightweight Elektron magnesium alloy, also famously used on the 1935 Bugatti Aerolithe Paris show car.

Sadly it was a 300SLR that Pierre Levegh was driving when he careered into the crowd at the 1955 Le Mans, prompting Mercedes-Benz’s withdrawal not just from the race but also from international motor sport. Had the accident not occurred, an SLR would almost certainly have won or been podium-placed.

As for 722, after an active life it’s now in semi-retirement at the new Mercedes-Benz museum, following a comprehensive rebuild and a last drive that was exclusively documented by Octane in issue 30. Ironically, its race success and its worldwide exposure at historic events around the world have turned it into a car of such extreme high value that Mercedes-Benz is reluctant to use it in anger again.

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