The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was the first car in the world with an injection engine and the fastest car of its time, but it became famous primarily for its unusual gullwing doors.
The legendary Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing is celebrating its 70th anniversary these days. This model is famous for its design, performance and innovative technical solutions and is often referred to as the first supercar in history. Focus will tell the story of the famous car.
The idea for the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was born in 1950. Post-war Germany was still in ruins, and Mercedes management was already looking to revive its former racing glory. To achieve this, a team of engineers led by Rudolf Uhlenhout developed the W194 coupe. The car had removable doors. They didn’t do this for beauty, it’s just that the body design suggested too high thresholds. It would be very difficult and troublesome to get into the car with a normal door.
The Mercedes-Benz W194 performed well; In 1952 he won the 24 hour race at Le Mans and the Mexican Carrera Panamericana rally. However, if it were not for American Mercedes-Benz dealer Maximilian Hoffman, it would have remained purely a racing car. It was he who suggested turning the sports car into an image production model.
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL debuted at the New York Auto Show on February 6, 1954. The audience was amazed by the streamlined silver coupe with unusual lifting doors. By the way, it was thanks to them that the car immediately received the nickname Gull Wing (“gull wing”). The buyer had the opportunity to choose a steel or lightweight aluminum body.
The engine was no less progressive. To make the three-litre six engine more powerful, it was equipped with direct fuel injection for the first time in the world. Power was 215 hp. It made it possible to accelerate to 100 km/h in 8 seconds and reach a speed of 245 km/h. The Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing is officially the fastest production car in the world.
Of course, the coupe turned out to be expensive – it cost as much as seven mass-produced Volkswagen Beetles. The inside was lined with expensive leather, and the package contained a set of branded luggage. The steering wheel has been made foldable to make boarding and disembarkation even more comfortable.
Despite the high cost, there were sufficient orders for the Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing supercar. 1,400 coupes were produced in three years, 1,100 of which were sold in the United States. The 290 horsepower racing version of the SLR, with which British driver Stirling Moss won the legendary 1,600-kilometer Mille Miglia rally in Italy, has also emerged.
In 1957, coupe production was discontinued but the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL roadster was introduced. It had normal doors but front disc brakes. Interestingly, the convertible turned out to be more popular because almost 2000 cars were produced.
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL became truly iconic and helped revive the German brand. Its owners include actors Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman and Clark Gable, artist Pablo Picasso, fashion designer Ralph Lauren and even Nikita Khrushchev.
Currently, such a Mercedes supercar in good condition costs at least a million dollars. And one of the two Mercedes 300 SLR coupés sold for $142 million in 2022; this became the most expensive car of all time.
By the way, Opel is also celebrating the anniversary of its first car this year.
Moreover Focus He wrote that an Aston Martin supercar with a Mercedes engine appeared in Ukraine.
Source: Focus
Ray Bly is an accomplished journalist in the field of Automobile. He currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the Automotive industry and a talent for uncovering the latest developments, Ray’s writing provides readers with insightful and informative coverage of the latest news and trends in the field.