Lot Ended
Description
Ex-Stirling Moss and just two owners since; 70k miles with loads of
history; LHD; private plate; interesting Moss correspondence; affectionately
known as Baboo; what a find!
Not only was Sir
Stirling Moss one of the greatest racing drivers of all time, he also had an
abiding fascination for modern gadgets, so when Mercedes launched their
innovative new Smart car in 1998, it was only natural that he wanted to get his
hands on one.
Of course, being an official Brand
Ambassador for Mercedes ever since his legendary win on the 1955 Mille Miglia in
a works-prepared 300SLR, he could also get a hefty discount on their cars –
another big plus for Moss who was famously good at monetising his reputation,
even charging for autographs if he suspected you weren’t a genuine
fan…
In fact Moss bought two Smart cars, a
standard Fortwo for his wife Susie which they called Shamoo, and this
Brabus-tuned one for himself which he called Baboo, as detailed in lots of
entertaining correspondence on file. The purchase invoice shows that Baboo cost
22,124 DM and Shamoo cost 14,793 DM which included a 2,000 DM ‘VIP discount’ on
each car.
After driving both cars back from the
Smart Centre in Koln, Moss declares himself to be slightly disappointed with
Baboo’s performance, worrying that the Brabus upgrades might not impress
Autocar (who are planning to test the car) unless it frees up with use,
while Susie is delighted with Shamoo: “My fabulous little car went like a bomb.
Poor Stirling was, I think, a little envious but hopefully his new baby will
loosen up and get the revs up shortly. Then he will love his car as much as we
both do mine!”.
Moss kept Baboo until early
2001, covering around 10,000 kms in the car during which time it had the
registration number SM 7 - he also stuck the 6.3 badge on the back for a laugh
(you could fit this thing into the boot of a Seventies 300SEL 6.3). It has had
just two owners since, our vendor acquiring Baboo in 2006 and putting a
personalised number on it – BIG 6311 – which complements the 6.3 badge added by
Stirling and goes with the car.
Showing 112,740
km on the clock (70k miles), Baboo comes with lots of invoices for regular
servicing and upkeep. In October 2023 it was sent to Richard Hammond’s garage,
The Smallest Cog, for a very thorough going-over which cost over £6,800 (see
last photo) and it has only covered around 4k miles since.
Driven 40 miles to the sale, Baboo has an MOT until October 2026
with no advisories recorded and has been running and driving nicely on site. As
you can see in the photos, this Brabus-tuned Smart is in very good condition for
its year/mileage and comes with loads of documents to warrant the Moss
provenance (only a fraction of which is reproduced here) plus a couple of photos
of Stirling and Susie with the car.
Quite apart
from being a hoot to drive, Baboo will certainly give you bragging rights down
at the pub and will sit well in any collection.
Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com