Mercedes-Benz 450SLC 5.0 Mampe Tribute: Classic Drive
A racing enthusiast didn’t realise how special the Mercedes-Benz 450SLC 5.0 was when he purchased it. Then he decided to build one of the ultimate tribute race cars (as an homage to the Mampe-backed AMG) to give his creation a deeper meaning.
Some enthusiasts feel the need to create a special car – a replica of a car that they will never own, for example. We have seen this several times in the past and such creations can be quite inspiring.
That is partly what happened to Dawie Olivier in South Africa. Apart from being a car enthusiast, he is a keen amateur racer and has built several cars during his racing career.
Origins of the Mampe Tribute race car
Although this specific Mercedes-Benz 450SLC 5.0 racing car is now in the hands of another Mercedes-Benz enthusiast (which we’ll get to shortly), Dawie is the one who came up with the idea and who built the car. He was the starting point and was keen to discuss the car over the phone.
“I was searching for a car that would be eligible to race in HRSA (Historic Racing South Africa). Then I found this car – a very rare 450 SLC 5.0 – but I didn’t know how special they were. In their heyday, these SLCs were homologated in Germany to go racing in the World Rally Championship. I bought it from a guy who got it from his father. Little did I know that the 5.0-litre version was rather special,” Dawie says.

“I started stripping the car to get it ready for racing duties when I was informed about a registry for these cars. I also removed the 3-speed automatic – all of this before I knew the rarity of these cars! One Christmas holiday I started reading about these cars and found that they were used by AMG (in conjunction with a Mampe Lufthansa Cocktail sponsorship) for circuit racing. Mampe, a German liqueur manufacturer, wanted to promote its cocktail that was served on the national airline’s flights.”
“Just 3 original cars were built. And the more I tried to research these cars, the less information I found. Eventually, I gained access to all the FIA homologation documents for the Mampe-backed cars.”

In the meantime, Dawie raced the car, but had to do so with 15-inch wheels and the car being extremely heavy, as the racing authorities wouldn’t allow him to race a replica.
“The rules allowed me to install a 5-speed ZF manual gearbox and a beefed-up braking system. I also had a new limited-slip differential built. I placed fifth overall in a 4-hour race in East London with the car, which was quite an achievement. This was mainly achieved because the car ran so reliably.”
Next, Dawie made contact with the DMSB (Deutscher Motor Sport Bund). “After a couple of days, I received a reply via email with the DMSB’s homologation documents for the Mampe racing car and the sender wished me luck in building the replica. I was extremely thankful and excited.”

With a significant collection of pictures of the original car that Dawie had collected over the years, the project started. The bodywork was manufactured while the standard car’s aluminium bonnet and boot lid remained. Dawie tried to stay as true to the original as he could, but admitted that it was a mistake to let the 3-speed automatic transmission go – but soon I would find out that I disagree with him on that point.
According to Dawie, one of the reasons it was raced with the automatic at the time was that there wasn’t a manual gearbox reliable enough to handle the 5.0-litre V8’s immense torque delivery (for the time).

“I fitted a new rack and pinion electric powering steering system as the original was shattered,” he adds.
Dawie also spent much money and energy on rebuilding the engine and further research about the car.
Specifications
- Model: Mercedes-Benz 450SLC 5.0
- Engine: M117, 5.0-litre, V8
- Power: 186 kW at 5 000 rpm
- Torque: 380 Nm at 3 250 rpm
- Transmission: 5-speed manual, RWD
- Weight: ±1,400 kg
At the track
As I walk up to the Mampre tribute race car parked in the pits of Zwartkops Raceway, the ‘Benz looks pretty much identical to the original: note the purposeful wider wheel arches (with the cut-outs at the back that show off the slick racing tyres), as well as the unique blank-out headlight surrounds.
Its current owner, Etienne Prowse, is delighted to have his pride and joy at the track. I quickly discover that he is a true enthusiast, and this is not the only car in his collection. He is busy sourcing selected modern classic AMGs because he likes them – and good ones are becoming rarer by the day.

He explains why he bought this Mampe tribute and what it means to him. It is worth noting, however, that there was another enthusiast, also a racer, who owned the car between Dawie and Etienne.
“I started collecting cars in 2012 and in 2019 I heard that this Mercedes-Benz 450SLC 5.0 was for sale. After acquiring the car, I added a few stickers to make it look as close as possible to the original car. Until now, I’ve only done track days with the car and taken part in some Mercedes-Benz Club South Africa events, of which one was a concours event and another during which the new SL was launched.”
Driving a race car on a track is always an exciting prospect. There is an “attitude” to a race car that no road car can replicate. The multi-spoke, 3-piece wheels fill the large wheel arches with intent. The Sparco Evo racing seats are fitted with 4-point Sabelt harnesses (there is also a passenger seat) and once strapped in you feel like you want to fit your racing shoes and helmet!

Gone is the standard dashboard – it has been replaced with a unit with the necessary few switches and relatively long gear lever to your right. As expected, there is a fire extinguisher, too. Behind the floor-mounted pedals, I can see the hydraulics for each respective pedal. The bare metal floor and cabin come alive with the rumble from the engine when I press the red starter button.
Behind the wheel
The 3-spoke Alcantara-clad steering wheel, which shows some expected patina, feels pure race car in my hands while the gear lever slips easily through the first 2 gears as I exit the pit lane.
I take it easy through the first few corners and, as is to be expected, there is a directness to the way the car responds that is vastly different to the standard road car. With the wider and grippier tyres, and the car being lighter, you can turn in with a high level of enthusiasm and confidence.
It is still no lightweight, for sure, but it has been transformed into as close to a race car as possible.

The engine is also happier to rev than the standard unit. The engine has been rebuilt and, of course, is now connected to a 5-speed manual gearbox instead of a slow-shifting 3-speed automatic.
The Mercedes-Benz 450SLC 5.0 Mampe Tribute’s gear lever continues to move with comfort between each ratio and the car also rewards you if you can execute a heel-and-toe downshift. Needless to say, the upgraded brakes feel strong, even though the car is still, relatively speaking, on the heavy side.
Being a race car, the engine’s much-vaunted tractability from low revs is almost irrelevant. Even so, as one would expect there is still plenty of torque in the middle of the rev range. As you pass 4 000 rpm there is already a strong urgency from the engine, but there’s still 2 000 rpm left before the red line!

Depending on your race-car exposure in the past, at times you may find it unusual to be in such a huge car, with the large bonnet stretching out in front and the spacious cabin. And yet, I can imagine getting into a rhythm with the Mercedes-Benz 450SLC 5.0 Mampe Tribute and doing lap after lap.
Summary
Etienne ends our time at the track with a few final thoughts. “I thoroughly enjoy this car. Because I’m a novice, I’ve spun on nearly every corner of the track. But it is interesting to note how other classic race cars will gain on you into, or through a corner, but on the straights, you pull away from them,” he says.
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