Mercedes Benz, which used to burn the racetracks before World War 2, took some time to adapt to the hectic development of the peaceful years after the war. It was not  before the early 50’s that the race car came about.  Fuel injection was added to the  best engine Mercedes Benz had at the time, the 3 liter. The engine was tilted 50 %  and dropped into the tubular “space frame” chassis. A light weight aluminum 2 seater body was built around it. This prototype was called the 300 SLR. Introduced at  the Mille Miglia in 1952, it was extremely successful in the racing circuits. With added horsepower to compensate for a steel body for a sports racing road car, the pre production 300 SL was introduced in 1954 at the New York Motor Show to raving reviews. Production started later that year. The “Gull Wing” doors, hinged at the top, were originally quite a novelty. A revised roadster was built in 1957, a hardtop was made available as an option in1958. Disc brakes were added in 1961.  Production continued until 1963: All in all 1400 Gull Wings and 1858 Roadsters were built.   

The acceleration of the car was the best in the world until Ferrari Super America hit the road. The engine was perfect, road holding and aerodynamics superb. The manufacturers claimed that even the eyebrows added to the aerodynamics of the already beautiful automobile. All these culminated in very high driving speeds. The interior was luxurious. The steering wheel was designed  to give the best view of the dials. The sliding steering wheel on some cars  was dubbed: “The fat man’s steering column.” Especially the “Gull Wing” is one of the most sought after classical cars in the world. Let alone owning one, just looking at it is a dream for antique car enthusiasts.