Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe

Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe

1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe RM Auctions Location: Amelia Island, Florida

Auction Results March, 2009

$375,000

Legendary Mercedes-Benz engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut was given responsibility for developing Mercedes-Benz’s first postwar racing car. He had observed the success that Jaguar had at Le Mans in 1951 with their XK 120C, which was essentially a standard XK 120 with a higher output engine that had been lightened and fitted with a streamlined body. The key lesson, for Uhlenhaut, was the use of as many production components as possible.

While prewar Mercedes-Benz engineers operated with seemingly unlimited budgets, the postwar company simply could not afford such cost-no-object development programs, and so when Uhlenhaut learned how little he would have to work with, it became clear that a production-based approach would be required.

Fortunately, the company’s new 300 series incorporated some excellent components, including a three liter overhead cam six-cylinder engine, a strong cast iron gearbox, and a lightweight independent swing arm rear axle. The main difficulty was the height of the engine; the ingenious solution was to lay it on its left side at a 50 degree angle. This required a custom chassis and body, which became the major new components developed specifically for the racing car.

During the war, Uhlenhaut had done extensive work on framework made of small diameter tubing. He had learned that by triangulating many small tubes, it was possible to achieve tremendous strength while retaining very light weight. Indeed, his chassis for the 300SL weighed just 180 pounds, but was extremely stiff and very strong.

When wrapped around the canted engine, it was clear the car could have a very low frontal area – one of the key factors for success as a racing car. The only difficulty was that to maintain its strength, the new chassis required very high sides. The solution was another flash of brilliance – he would hinge the doors at the centerline of the car. It worked, although in the first generation of racing cars the doors came down only to the bottom of the side windows.

Mercedes-Benz was concerned that the motor sports governing bodies would rule against this radical design, but Uhlenhaut and Neubauer had done their homework and learned that none of the rather elaborate regulations restricted the size, position, or configuration of the doors.

A very sleek body was designed for the car, and with its low profile and smooth flanks (there were no bumpers, door handles, trim, or anything else to cause drag), it achieved a coefficient of drag of just 0.25 – a remarkable number even today.

The resulting car was dubbed the 300SL. It created a sensation when it was first seen, and an enviable track record beginning with its very first race – the 1952 Mille Miglia, where the brand new SL, driven by Karl Kling, finished second after a wheel-to-wheel battle with the race-leading Ferrari. Many victories would follow, beginning with the very next race, the Bern Grand Prix. The most notable win, however, came at Le Mans, with a one-two finish that proved, once and for all, that the 300SL was a worthy successor to the legendary prewar Mercedes-Benz sports cars.

In the case of the 300SL, the road car was a clear and direct descendent of the racing car. So good was the racing car that the street car was virtually the same. Of course, some concessions were made for comfort and convenience, but the basics – tube frame chassis, gullwing doors, three liter overhead cam six-cylinder engine – all remained in place.

Some structural changes were needed to improve access through the doors, but other than the addition of fuel injection and improved creature comforts, the basic specifications of the new 300SL coupe were unchanged. It was fast, solid, and handled well, and it quickly developed an enviable reputation both on the track and in the streets.

Some cars are fortunate enough to become icons, and in the collector car world, there is no more immediately recognizable sight than a 300SL with its doors raised. Born as a solution to a constraint imposed by the car’s light tubular frame, the gullwing doors became the car’s visual signature. It is this combination of an impeccable bloodline, outstanding engineering and striking design that has made the 300SL so highly prized by collectors today.



Just 867 300SL coupés were built in 1955, and fewer still remain today. It is difficult now to imagine the significant advance represented by the 300SL in its day. Not only did it offer considerable technological advancement and trendsetting design, but the long hood concealed a powerful overhead cam six-cylinder engine with Bosch fuel injection capable of top speeds in excess of 130 miles per hour. Perhaps Autocar’s editors said it best: “the effect is electrifying”.

Related Pages

• Mercedes-Benz Main Page
• Remarkable Cars Home Page

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