The Mercedes 300SL coupe will be introduced in 1954 in New York. It is one of the few vehicles developed from a racing version. It is driven by the slightly tuned, 40° inclined to the left installed in-line six-cylinder from the 300 sedan. It is the first four-stroke engine with petrol direct injection of the world.

The gullwing doors cleverly cover the tubular space frame in the protruding side sills. For easier entry/exit the steering wheel can be folded downwards. The first examples are still delivered with Duplex drum brakes at the front axle. When braking from high speeds, at the SLR can even be extended a flap as an air brake. Its drag coefficient of 0.25 is still nearly unmatched to this day. With the longest transmission can be achieved 265 km/h.

1450 models were built, 1,100 of them go to the American market. In Europe, only few can afford a car, that costs with 25,000 DM nearly as much as a house. Probably still exist close to 90% of the vehicles. The current market price for a vehicle of category 1 (super-condition) is at about 250,000 - 300,000 €.