The car was dubbed 300 SL and was launched in 1952. It was raced very succesfully and scored victories in races like the Carrera Panamerica.The success of the racing 300 SL and the plan of the American importer to sell sportscars with the Mercedes star on the bonnet spurred Mercedes Benz to built a road going version of the racing car. The serial version was launched at the 1954 New York International Motor Sports Show and was based on the 1952 racing car. Its salient feature was taken from this racing-car, the unusual doors, which earned the car the nickname gullwing in English-speaking countries. This unusual design solution was not intended as a publicity stunt, but, as had been the case with the racing car, from a construction point of view, this was an absolute necessity. The tubular space frame, derived from the SL racing-car, which weighed a mere 50 kg, had the drawback that because of its overall height conventional doors were simply not feasible. From August 1954 until May 1957 1,400 units were built in Sindelfingen. The 300 SL remains as (one of) the most legendary car(s) to ever roll of the Mercedes Benz line and it scores high on many car enthusiast's favorite car list.
Engine M198 Straight 6
Displacement 2.996 liter / 182.8 cu in
Power 215 bhp / 160 KW @ 5800 rpm
Torque 275 Nm / 203 ft lbs @ 4600 rpm
Top Speed 245 km/h / 152 mph
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