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70 years of Über-Flügler”
Mercedes-Benz introduced a luxury sports car at the International Motor Sports Show in New York in 1954.
70 years of Über-Flügler”
New York on February 6, 1954. The International Motor Sports Show opens - and Mercedes-Benz surprises the world with a completely unexpected car. The brand presents its super sports car 300 SL, type designation W198. The spectacular appearance of the shiny silver coupé is underlined by its gullwing doors, which were unique in a production vehicle at the time and are still a fascinating detail today. Mercedes-Benz is aware of the importance of the 300 SL and stages it appropriately. The star stands slightly elevated at the trade fair stand on a round platform covered with carefully draped fabric. In comparison, the second innovation right next to it lags a little behind. It is the 190 SL (W 121), an elegant roadster. Both vehicles are aimed heavily at the US market. New York was therefore deliberately chosen for the world premiere. The public quickly gave the coupé appropriate nicknames. It is called “Gullwing” in German-speaking countries, the Americans call it “Gullwing” and the French “Papillon” (butterfly).
The basic shape of the 300 SL corresponds to the racing sports car of the same name from 1952, with which Mercedes-Benz made a brilliant return to international motorsport. Mille Miglia, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Carrera Panamericana – the top placings in the most dazzling sports car races in the world are written into the genes of the production vehicle from 1954. The upward-opening doors of the new 300 SL are neither a marketing gimmick nor a design gimmick, but rather structurally necessary: like the racing sports car, the 300 SL has a light and very stable tubular space frame under the body. It is comparatively high on the sides. This excludes entry openings with conventional door designs. What makes the 300SL a super sports car is its perfectly tuned chassis, almost ideal weight distribution and the world's first standard six-cylinder with direct injection in a passenger car. The innovative mixture formation increases the output from the 125 kW (170 hp) of the racing sports car to 158 kW (215 hp). The top speed is 250 km/h – an extraordinary achievement in the mid-1950s.