Mercedes-Benz Brings Together Three Generations of Racing Car Haulers Including the 300SL-Powered Blue Wonder

As part of this year's celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows, the German automaker has brought together three generations of trucks that have been used to transfer the firm's racing cars over the years. These include the 1934 Lo 2750, an awesome replica of the once fastest racing car transporter in the world, the so-called 'Blue Wonder' from 1955 that was powered by the original Gullwing's direct-injection engine, and a modern day Actros Truck.

Needless to say, the one that stands out like a shining star is the official replica of the 'Blue Wonder'. Built at the request of racing manager Alfred Neubauer in the mid 1950s, this one-of-a-kind transporter served Mercedes-Benz for more than a decade.

The 6.75-metre-long and two-meters-wide hauler used a lengthened tubular frame from the Mercedes-Benz 300 S luxury coupe of the era.

Power was provided by a three-liter inline-six with direct-injection that came straight from the legendary 300 SL Gullwing sports car of 1955, while various body components such as the doors, wings and some of the interior appointments were sourced from the Mercedes-Benz 180 standard saloon. It was then billed as the 'fastest racing car transporter in the world'.

After Mercedes-Benz withdrew from motor sports at the end of 1955, the 'Blue Wonder' initially served as an exhibition vehicle in the USA, followed by ten years of service for Mercedes-Benz test drives. Unfortunately, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, who managed the motor sports department during the racing car carriers' "active" period, had the one-off model scrapped in 1967.

However, decades later, Mercedes-Benz rebuilt this stunning racing car hauler based on archive photographs.

As for the other two trucks featured here, the Mercedes-Benz Lo 2750 is a completely restored model from 1936 equipped with a four-cylinder petrol engine while the 4-meter tall and 16.5-metre long 2009 Actros Truck that's powered by a V8 turbo diesel currently serves as a carrier for Mercedes-Benz's Formula 1 and DTM racing cars.


1955 Mercedes-Benz Blue Wonder

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1934 Mercedes-Benz Lo 2750 and 2009 Mercedes-Benz Actros

2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Convertible Revealed in Official Design Pictures

2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Convertible Revealed in Official Design Pictures

Not that the styling of the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Convertible hasn't been previewed in the virtually undisguised prototypes that have been caught by numerous spy photographers testing in and around the Nurburgring as well as other locations in Europe, but these grainy black and white pictures that were filed with the EU trademark office are the official deal.

Set to arrive in Mercedes-Benz showrooms sometime during the first half of 2010, the topless version of the new E-Class Coupe keeps the four-seat layout of its tintop twin and like the Audi A5 Cabrio, it doesn't use a retractable metal roof opting instead for a lighter and more compact-sized canvas top.

Don't expect to see any surprises under the hood as the 2010 E-Class Convertible will be offered with the same four-, six- and eight-cylinder engine options (depending on the market) as the latest coupe model including a 204HP 2.2-liter diesel and a 5.5-liter V8 petrol with 388HP.