The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL's gullwing doors were a practical feature—they accounted for the car's lightweight tubular frame. Daimler AG
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL's gullwing doors were a practical feature—they accounted for the car's lightweight tubular frame.
Max Hoffman, the official importer of Mercedes-Benz cars to the American market, knew a production version of the race car would be a hit here in the States. He badgered the brass until they caved. Daimler AG
Max Hoffman, the official importer of Mercedes-Benz cars to the American market, knew a production version of the race car would be a hit here in the States. He badgered the brass until they caved.
The coupe debuted at the International Motor Sports Show in New York in February 1954, complete with the tubular space frame and gullwing doors. Daimler AG
The coupe debuted at the International Motor Sports Show in New York in February 1954, complete with the tubular space frame and gullwing doors.
For power, the Germans took the engine used in the 300-series sedans and limousines and stuffed it under the SL’s long hood. Daimler AG
For power, the Germans took the engine used in the 300-series sedans and limousines and stuffed it under the SL’s long hood.
Sixty years after its debut, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing remains one of the most beautiful cars ever made. Daimler AG
Sixty years after its debut, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing remains one of the most beautiful cars ever made.
From right to left, all the versions of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupe: the 1952 300 SL (W 194) racing sports car, the racing car prototype (chassis number W 194 011) for the 1953 racing season, the production car (W 198 I) of 1954, and the 300 SLR racing car prototype “Uhlenhaut-Coupé” (W 196 S) of 1955. Daimler AG
From right to left, all the versions of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupe: the 1952 300 SL (W 194) racing sports car, the racing car prototype (chassis number W 194 011) for the 1953 racing season, the production car (W 198 I) of 1954, and the 300 SLR racing car prototype “Uhlenhaut-Coupé” (W 196 S) of 1955.
Sixty years after its debut, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing remains one of the most beautiful cars ever made. Even when you paint it beige and cover its seats in shriek-inducing red and green plaid, it’s gorgeous. But more importantly—at least in the annals of automotive history—the car was packed with innovative tech like a slanted inline six-cylinder engine, fuel injection, a lightweight frame, and those glorious doors.
Like with many automotive inventions, the 300 SL’s groundbreaking features were born from racing. It all started with the 1952 W 194 series 300 SL, which took first and second place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans; first, second, and third at the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring; and first in the 1,900-mile Carrerra Panamericana race.
Two factors made the SL so successful. For power, the Germans took the engine used in the 300-series sedans and limousines and stuffed it under the SL’s long hood. They slanted the 3-liter inline six-cylinder 50 degrees to the left, which pushed the car’s center of gravity closer to the ground and maintained the low, sleek line of the hood. Chrysler’s famous 225 Slant Six, similarly tilted setup, didn’t debut until 1960.
To make each bit of horsepower more effective, Mercedes engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut developed a frame of thin tubing that weighed just 110 pounds. That tubular framework is the reason behind the car’s iconic feature, its gullwing doors. Mercedes couldn’t cut into the frame to fit conventional doors without sacrificing stability, so it hinged the doors to swing up instead of out.
Fortunately for people who weren’t paid race car drivers, Mercedes decided to bring a production version of the car to market. That move is credited to Max Hoffman, the official importer of Mercedes-Benz cars to the American market. He knew the car would be a hit here in the States and badgered the brass until they caved. And so the 300 SL Coupe was born, presented at the International Motor Sports Show in New York in February 1954, complete with the tubular space frame and gullwing doors.
The production car had something the 1952 racing version lacked: Fuel injection. Mercedes used the system, developed by Bosch, in the 1953 W194/11 racing car prototype, and the coupe was the first production car to feature it. Switching from carburetors to fuel injection increased fuel efficiency and power. The engine cranked out 215 horsepower, good enough to go from 0 to 60 mph in eight seconds. With a top speed of 161 mph, the 300 SL was the fastest production car of the age, according to RM Auctions.
Between 1954 and 1957, Mercedes made 1,400 Gullwing coupes. The automaker says “the road-going racing coupé became the symbol of success for the rich and the beautiful of its day and age, a dream come true for a few other people and for many a dream they were at least able to see and hear every now and then.” This is one of the rare occasions where the marketing speak isn’t hype. Six decades after the first of those cars hit the road, those that are left routinely sell for six-digit figures. During this year’s Pebble Beach festivities, Rick Cole Auctions sold a 1956 300 SL for $1.6 million, and RM Auctions sent a 1955 model to a new owner for a whopping $2.53 million.
The original SL 300s were a pain to maintain and a bit quirky on the handling side, but they sparked quite the line of offspring. The latest is the 2015 SLS AMG GT, a $220k gullwing-ed beast with a 6.3-liter V8 that rockets the car from 0 to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds. If you’ve got one, hold onto it—it could cross the auction block for a lot more money after another 60 years.
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