Rudolf Uhlenhaut

[2] After finishing his schooling, in 1926 he took up a place at the Technical University of Munich to study engineering, during which, as an avid skier, he spent much time in the Bavarian Alps.

At the outbreak of World War II the racing team ceased, and Uhlenhaut was placed under constant surveillance by the Gestapo, due to his dual nationality.

He was then contacted by an old friend, who was by now a Major in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), and contracted to work on reconstruction projects.

Capable of approaching 290 km/h (180 mph), the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé easily earned the reputation of being the era's fastest road car.

[5] A story circulates that running late for a meeting Uhlenhaut roared up the autobahn from Munich to Stuttgart in just over an hour, a 137 mile/220 km journey that today takes two-and-a-half.

Uhlenhaut's 300SLR coupé, in the Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim
Gull-wing doors, as used on the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL introduced a year earlier, were a signature feature of the Uhlenhaut Coupé