This amazing looking machine was originally part of Mercedes-Benz formula one and sports car racing operation in 1954-55. Alfred Neubauer, M-B’s racing team manager, decided that a race car transporter capable of high speed cruising would be needed for his new racing team. The advantage of having such a machine included being able to rapidly send a replacement car to an event from the factory in Germany to any race event in Europe. This was useful when a car was damaged during practice for a race, as it could be quickly driven back to the factory, repaired and returned in time to race. It also gave factory mechanics more time to do last minute adjustments on new SLRs or W196s before they had to be dispatched to a race meeting. Most cars and equipment would go to a race on a regular transporter truck, but the Fast Transporter (as this unique vehicle became known) was on standby in case it was needed.
Mercedes engineers built the Fast Transporter on an extended X-shaped tubular frame from a 300S. It had a slightly detuned (192bhp instead of 215bhp) straight six engine from a 300SL Gullwing, and the front end and interior fittings were made from modified parts from a Mercedes 180. The rear windows of the cab were unique to the truck and their curved shape was a major challenge for Mercedes's glaziers. The shape of the rear of the cab was the reverse of the shape of a racing cars nose, so that it fitted snugly under it.
The loading ramps fitted between the metal racks into which the car being carried sat in, and the supports for the loading ramps were attached to the hubcaps on the spare wheels located along the sides of the truck between the front and rear wheels.
When fully loaded, this vehicle was heavy, and as it was meant to be driven at speed it needed powerful brakes. The original truck had hydraulically boosted drum brakes on all four wheels assisted by a disc brake on the transmission, and an unusual exhaust brake.
The Fast Transporter proved to be a hit at race meetings across Europe, almost as big a draw as the Mercedes race cars themselves. It's active career was short however, as Mercedes-Benz withdrew from motorsport after the 1955 season. A horrific crash involving a 300SLR driven by Piere Levegh at the '55 LeMans race resulted in the death of the driver and nearly 80 spectators as the car flew into the crowd after the crash. This is to date the worst accident in motorsport history and in the aftermath, Mercedes-Benz decided to withdraw from all motorsport at the end of the 1955 season. The Fast Transporter was sent on a publicity tour of America for Mercedes late in 1955, along with a 300SLR. While on tour the script "Max Speed 105mph" was added to the rear end of the truck, ending speculation as to what the top speed of this amazing vehicle was.
On it's return to Europe in 1957, Mercedes planned to display the truck complete with a 300SLR on it's back. Unfortunately the old Mercedes-Benz museum's floor was not strong enough to support the weight of the truck and it ended up being stored in Mercedes-Benz's testing department. By 1967 it was in a dilapidated state and Rudolf Uhlenhaut ordered it to be scrapped, which it was in December 1967.
In later years Mercedes came to regret the scrapping of the Fast Transporter as they received frequent requests for it to be shown at various shows and events. In 1993 they decided to build a replica of the truck which ended up taking 7 years and 6000 man hours to complete. The replica was as close to the real thing as possible, even though Mercedes had very few technical drawings of the vehicle. Most of the plans for the replica were drawn up from photographs of the original and the recollections of staff members who had worked on it. One deviation from the original specification of the truck was the use of modern front disc brakes in place of the drums on the genuine article, and the omission of the disc brake on the transmission.
The replica truck was first shown in public at the 2001 Goodwood Festival of Speed where Mercedes-Benz was the featured marque. The recreation proved to be as big a hit as the original had been and this time around it has it's place in the new Mercedes-Benz museum (which has strong enough floors to support it's weight!). I was at the 2001 Festival of Speed and I have to say seeing this amazing replica was a highlight of that particular event for me.
CMC have released models of the Fast Transporter in both 1:18th and 1:43rd scales. In 1:18th it is a huge model, one of the biggest in my collection (only the Minichamps Mercedes L6600 truck and the Original Classics Dennis F8 fire engine are larger). The 1:18th version as seen here was introduced in 2002. It is one of the most impressive 1:18th models released to date (2005) in my opinion thanks to it's impressive size, great weight (it is very heavy!) and fine detail. As such it forms the centrepiece of many diecast collections. It is not a cheap model, but it is worth the asking price in my humble opinion!
