Classic Car: Mercedes-Benz 300SL

The Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing is one of the most iconic cars. It is an important car in the automotive industry. It is the first ever sports car to have a gasoline direct injection. Before the 300SL was produces, fuel and air were mixed into a carburetor before entering the engine. The 300SL coupe is also the first car to have gullwing doors, the defining characteristic for the car. The 300SL Roadster does not have the gullwing doors. The 300SL was produced from 1953 to 1963 with 1,400 coupes and 1,858 roadsters made. When the 300SL Gullwing was released, it was the fastest street-legal production car, reaching a top speed of 145 mph. It dethroned the Pegaso Z-102 as the fastest production car.

I recently saw the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe and the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster at the 20011 Houston Classy Chassis: Concours d'Elegance. The roadster looked beautiful. The coupe has a paint cracks on the front bumper. I had a scale model of the 300SL Gullwing growing up. It was nice to see a 300SL Gullwing in person.

The Mercedes-Benz 300SL is powered by a 3.0L inline-6 engine, paired with a four-speed manual that produces 212 hp and 202 lb-ft of torque. The 0-60 mph time for the 300SL Gullwing Coupe is 7.2 seconds an the 0-60 mph time for the 300SL Roadster is 7.1 seconds. Both the coupe and roadster reached a top speed of 140 mph. Both are highly desired by car collectors and are normally priced between $500,000 and $700,000. Some 300SL Gullwings can fetch $1,000,000+ if  they are in perfect condition.

The Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing has been featured at Jay Leno's Garage. James May reviewed the 300SL Gullwing during Top Gear Series 5, Episode 5. A few Chasing Classic Cars episodes featured the 300SL Gullwing Coupe and 300SL Roadster. The 300SL Gullwing Coupe is playable in Grand Theft Auto, Grand Theft Auto 2, World Race, Scarface: The World is Yours, London Racer: Destruction Madness, World Racing 2, Project Gotham Racing 2, Chrono Q HG, London Racer: World Challenge, Autobahn Raser IV, Breakneck, American Highways, Carmageddon, Gran Turismo 4, Gran Turismo 5, Forza Motorsport, Forza Motorsport 2, Forza Motorsport 3, Sega GT 2002, Enthusia Professional Racing, Mafia II, Test Drive Unlimited, Test Drive Unlimited 2, Mille Miglia, and many other games. The 300 SL Roadster is playable in World Racing, World Racing 2, GT Legends, and Mille Miglia.

The 300SL Gullwing Coupe and 300SL Roadster are the iconic Mercedes-Benz cars. They are highly collectible and the 300SL Gullwing Coupe is the basis for the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. The SLS may have better technology, but it will never capture the spirit of the 300SL Gullwing. I would much rather have the 300SL Gullwing over the SLS AMG. No car was faster that the 300SL Gullwing when it came out. Even the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss is based on the 300 SLR race car that was driven by Moss.

CarJunkie
Photos taken from a digital camera