Mercedes-Benz 300 SL History

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was first developed as a racing sports car, the W194, in the aftermath of World War II. The International Automobile Federation (FIA) readmitted Germany into international races, which sparked chief development engineer Rudi Uhlenhaut and the racing department of Daimler Benz to experiment with their pre-war cars. To save costs on development, many of the Mercedes-Benz 300 sedan parts were used with changes to adapt to a smaller wheelbase and the added power of a new engine. Taking a 3-litre production engine, the team raised its power from 115 hp at 4600 rpm to 171 hp at 5200 rpm.
To make the car even more competitive, they developed a complex system of tubes to form the chassis which provided rigidity while remaining light. This produced a problem: the cockpit was enveloped by the tubular frame, making conventional doors impossible. This led to the implementation of the now iconic Gullwing doors of the 300 SL, which were hinged at the roof and would rise upwards when opened. With its aerodynamic coupé body and an independent four-wheel suspension, the 300 SL (“Super Leicht”, or Super Light) handled well and could reach speeds of over 250 km/h.
Its impact was immediate, as the W194 went on to win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, Eifelrennen at Nürburgring, and the Carrera Panamericana race in Mexico. The car garnered several fans, notably Max Hoffman, a successful importer of luxury European cars to America. Certain of the booming post-war market’s desire for a luxury race car, he suggested a street-legal model of the race car be produced, and reportedly backed this up with an order for 1000 units. Once development completed, the production model featured many improvements over the original racer: Bosch fuel injection incorporated into the engine, a separate 5.28-gallon expansion tank to compensate for overheating, and a heat shield to protect the fuel mixture intake from the heat of the exhaust manifold.
On February 6th of 1954, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL debuted at the New York Auto Show, rather than Frankfurt or Geneva – another proposal of Hoffman’s. Its iconic looks and gullwing doors attracted a lot of attention, while the improvements to the engine made it the fastest production car of its day – as well as the world’s first mass-produced four-stoke engine. Max Hoffman was given sole rights to import, and his prediction proved right – between 1955 and 1957, more than 80% of the 1400 units made were sold in the U.S.
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL became an icon the world over as the luxury sports car. For those who could afford to buy one, it made a valued piece to any collection – at a cost of 29,000 Deutsche Marks, the 300 SL cost as much as a luxury yacht at the time. Today, the car still demands a high price, with auctions for it comfortably hitting six figures, or millions for one in good condition.