Mercedes is best known as a maker of solid and unassuming luxury cars. Yet, in the 50s, it gave us one of the most insane cars ever built. Why? Let’s find out.
Mercedes in the early 50s was an extremely conservative company. Indeed, its flagship 300 became nicknamed “Adenauer” because it became best known as the car which shuttled around the most establishment figure of them all, West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer.
If Mercedes wanted to make its image more exciting, they needed to win at the track. For that, they developed the W194. The engine it used, a 3 liter 6 from the Adenauer, wasn’t very powerful, so the car needed to be extremely lightweight. One way they did this was the use of an aluminum tube spaceframe chassis which encircled the car. This meant very high sills and little room for conventional doors.
The only solution was to have doors that cut into the roof and opened vertically. This practical necessity created one of the most famous silhouettes ever. The W194 achieved great success, winning the 24 Hours At Le Mans in 1952 and many other races. This was despite an engine producing just 175 hp.
Max Hoffman was the official importer of Mercedes in the United States, as well as Porsche and BMW. Given how important the American market was, this gave him great influence on car design. He suggested to Stuttgart that they make a road car of the W194.
So Mercedes took the plunge. The 300SL Gullwing was unveiled in 1954. It was clear what market it was pandering to, as it was unveiled not in Frankfurt or Geneva, as usual, but New York. The 300SL’s radicalness went beyond the doors. The engine utilized direct fuel injection. This was pure space age technology in the 50s. Having the fuel injectors in the cylinder instead of the intake manifold means that fuel can be introduced later in the combustion cycle, preventing premature ignition. This means that the compression ratio can be increased, which means more power for a given amount of fuel. This technology did not become ubiquitous for another 55 years. It meant the engine could produce 215 horsepower, and an optional camshaft boosted the power to 240, allowing for a top speed of 160 mph. This made it the fastest car in the world at the time. It also had 4 wheel independent suspension, giving a relatively comfortable ride. You could get it with an aluminum body that saved 180 lbs of weight. This was an extremely expensive option and only 29 had it. Between 1954 and 1957, 1400 Gullwings were built, and 80% were sold in the US, despite the extremely limited dealer network. It completely transformed Mercedes’ reputation and established it in the lucrative American market.
There were problems, however. The direct injection system would briefly keep going after the ignition was switched off before the engine stopped turning. This fuel would wash away lubricating oil and cause engine damage once it started again. The owner’s manual explicitly warned people not to turn off the engine at anything above idle speed. The swing axle rear suspension could lead to camber changes in high speed cornering, in extreme cases lifting the rear wheels off the ground. And the Gullwing’s big fuel tank meant handling characteristics would change dramatically as the tank emptied. The biggest issue however, were the doors. In a rollover accident, it was impossible to get them open.
In 1957, the Gullwing doors made way for a conventional roadster. This would last until 1963 and establish the highly successful SL line. But the Gullwing would remain iconic.
In 2011, Mercedes brought back the gullwing doors with the SLS AMG. At this point, pesky nanny state regulators now said that doors had to be openable in a rollover. The solution: explosive bolts that detach the doors if it winds up on its roof (see them in action here). Sadly, in 2015, it was discontinued and replaced by the normal-doored AMG GT.
The rarity, the importance, the technical innovations, and the doors have made the 300SL a highly sought after classic. Auction prices exceed $1.3 million. And one of the extremely rare aluminum models fetched $4.6 million in Arizona in 2012. Despite being around for just 3 years, the Gullwing certainly made its mark.