1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing W198 Sportabteilung competition

Car delivered directly from chassis completion to the factory racing division, where it was equipped with full competition specification. Retained for 13 months, longer than any of the other three similar factory-prepared cars.

Purchased the car directly from the factory to finance a racing program for Georges Houel, who drove it back to Paris to contest the Tour de France Auto.

French Mercedes dealership that held the car and through which the next private owner discovered and purchased it.

A dedicated Gullwing enthusiast who had admired the model since childhood; began a restoration that was never finished, after which the car sat unused for roughly four decades.

Inherited or took over the car from his father and resumed efforts to address the interrupted restoration work.

Acquired the car sometime in the late 1950s and kept it largely without repairs or restoration work.

Parisian rugby figure and motorcycle racer who campaigned the car in multiple French events over several years; appears to have had effective custody even though Hommel was the formal purchaser.

Event referred to informally as the '10,000 Corners' rally.

Car entered in the Group B competition class wearing number 149; Moss co-drove with Houel. Early ignition trouble severely hampered performance but Moss recovered strongly in the closing stages to claim second place.

Retirement caused by a tyre failure.

Contested in Italy; no result recorded in the source.

Factory Sportabteilung preparation including NSL-spec engine with revised camshaft, Rudge knock-off wheels, competition fuel-injection components, special ventilated drum brakes, enlarged oil tank, lowered suspension, and a dedicated final drive ratio of 3.48:1.

Work carried out between chassis completion on 17 August 1955 and delivery to the competition department on 27 August 1955.

Ignition system fault causing power loss was diagnosed and corrected at a small roadside garage in Grenoble during the Tour de France Auto.

Repair performed mid-event; Moss had nearly withdrawn from the rally before the fix was made.

Owner began disassembly for detailed restoration work after a year of regular use. During disassembly, period handwriting referencing Moss and the 1956 race was found on the underside. Work was abandoned unfinished and the car remained dormant for approximately 40 years.

Approximate date inferred from acquisition in 1966 and 'a year of regular use' before commencing work.

The subsequent owner resumed the incomplete restoration that had been suspended decades earlier.

Scope and completion status of the resumed work are not fully described in the prose.