Mercedes 300 SL

The Mercedes 300SL coupe was presented in New York in 1954. It was one of the few vehicles which have been developed from a racing version. The mildly tuned in-line six-cylinder, installed 40° inclined to the left, from the 300 limousine powered it. It was the first four-stroke engine with direct fuel injection in the world.

The gullwing doors skilfully covered the tubular space frame in the protruding side sills. For ease of getting in or out, the steering wheel was folded down. The first cars were still delivered with Duplex drum brakes on the front axle. When braking from high speeds even a flap could be extended as an air brake at the SLR. Its drag coefficient is still almost unmatched with 0.25 until today.

Approximately 1,450 models were built, 1,100 them were for the American market. In Europe, only a few could afford a car that cost 25,000 DM, about as much as a single-family home. In Germany, only 80 cars were sold. Probably, almost 90% of the vehicles still exists. The current market price for a vehicle of category 1 (super condition) is at about 250,000 to 300,000 €.

Look at Figure 4 to the tubular space frame as it is hidden by the wing doors. Above the framework steel sheet were covered and at many points aluminum. Optionally, there were only aluminum, but in total only realised in 28 bodies. 01/15