Mercedes-Benz Worldwide

Menu
  • News
  • A-Class
  • B-Class
  • C-Class
  • E-Class
  • S-Class
  • G-Class
  • V-Class
  • X-Class
  • T-Class
  • CLA
  • CLS
  • CLK
  • GLA
  • GLB
  • GLC
  • GLE
  • GLS
  • SL
  • SLC
  • Citan
  • Sprinter
  • AMG GT
  • Maybach
  • EQ
  • Unimog
  • Trucks
  • F1
  • Concept Car

1953 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Prototype Specs & Pictures

Mercedes-Benz | Mercedes-AMG 19/08/2021 No Comments
Mercedes-Benz | Mercedes-AMG
Click to rate this post
[Total: 1 Average: 5]

On March 12, 1952, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the spectacular 300 SL racing sports car to the media on a motorway. From 1954 onwards, that very successful competition car shaped the tradition of the Mercedes-Benz SL sports cars.
 

A stretch of motorway near Stuttgart became the stage for the presentation of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (W 194) on March 12, 1952. Two days before that, the Stuttgart brand’s press office had caused a sensation when it issued invitations to selected journalists. It was not simply a question of the “new Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (super-light) sports car […] undertaking test drives in public for the first time”. This was a clear statement that the brand was returning to motorsport, as the press release noted: three 300 SLs had already been registered for “that famous Italian road race, the ‘Mille Miglia’, to be held on 3 and 4 May 1952”.
 

The press photo sent out with the invitation showed a dynamically drawn sports car depicting the archetypal SL lines. Its gullwing doors ended at the waistline of the body. Later, Mercedes-Benz enlarged the cut-outs downwards, making it easier to get inside. What was completely new was the structure hidden under the body and made of thin aluminum-magnesium sheet: this was the roll cage, developed by Rudolf Uhlenhaut especially for this racing sports car and weighing 110 lbs, made of thin tubing that was subjected only to compression and tension. It was this frame design that made it technically necessary to hinge the gullwing doors to the roof. The M 194 engine was derived from the M 186 production engine used in the Mercedes-Benz 300 (W 186) representation car presented in 1951. For use in the racing sports car, the engineers increased its output to around 170 hp. By tilting the engine through 50 degrees to the left and employing dry sump lubrication, it was possible to lower the installation position. Other technical components in the 300 SL were also derived from the Mercedes-Benz 300, the legendary “Adenauer” saloon, and the sporty-luxurious 300 S touring car (W 188).
 

The 300 SL was the car of the season. In the 1952 Mille Miglia, Mercedes-Benz took second and fourth places with the 300 SL in the very first race. The racing sports car also took a triple victory in the sports car race in Bern, a one-two victory in the 24 hours of Le Mans and a quadruple victory in the sports car race on the Nürburgring. The last race of the 300 SL – which now had an output of 180 hp – was the third Carrera Panamericana 1952 in Mexico. Karl Kling/Hans Klenk and Hermann Lang/Erwin Grupp achieved a legendary one-two victory.
 

For 1953, a successor model to the highly successful 300 SL racing sports car was developed, the W 194/11. It was nicknamed “Hobel” (“carpenter’s plane”) because of it characteristic front design. However, that car was never entered in a race. From 1954, Mercedes-Benz decided to compete in the Formula One World Championship and concentrated on developing the W 196 R racing car.

Share this ↓

Related posts :

  1. Mercedes-Benz 300 SL With A Modern Engine & Chassis
  2. 1952 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Specs & Pictures
  3. 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Specs & Pictures
  4. 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL For Auction Starting At $1.3 Million
  5. The World’s First Mercedes-Benz SL Is A Legend
  6. Mercedes 300 SL With A Modern Engine And Chassis
  7. The Oldest Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing By Jay Leno
  8. 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster From Monaco
  9. Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Hot Rod Restomod
  10. Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing With Only 84,000 Miles
  11. Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Mashed With Mercedes-AMG GT R
  12. Mercedes-Benz Gullwing Construction Shortfilm
  13. Mercedes-Benz SLK 32 AMG Transformed Into 300 SL Gullwing Restomod
  14. Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Full Restoration As A New Car
  15. Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Built Into An AMG Swapped Supercharged Widebody Monster
  16. 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Restomod Versions By AMG
  17. Mercedes-Benz 300 SL W198 Legend 50 Years Ago
  18. Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Restomod The Car Debuted At The Super Bowl Halftime Show
  19. 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster Worth More Than $1M
  20. Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Recommissioning An Automotive Icon
Prev Article
Next Article

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Google Translate

Recent Posts

  • Mercedes-AMG GT S Cleaning The Dirtiest Supercar Ever
  • 2023 Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe With PHEV Power And Rear Seats
  • Mercedes-AMG G 63 6×6 Brabus In Case Of An Apocalypse
  • Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Mattel Hot Wheels That Won The Mille Miglia In 1955
  • Mercedes-Benz Typ 320 From Lifestyle Status Symbol To Lifesaving Utilitarian
  • Mercedes-Benz Camper Van Conversion Might Be The Perfect Hippie Mobile
  • Mercedes-Benz EV Models To Get Upgrades For More Range
  • Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe Was Sold For A Record Amount
  • Mercedes G-Class Pickup Truck Redesign By Digimods Design
  • 2023 Mercedes-Benz G 550 Review Test Drive
  • 2023 Mercedes EQC Benz Goes Electric
  • Mercedes CLS Is About To Be Killed
  • Mercedes-Benz E-Class W124 The Best Classic Car
  • Mercedes F1 Lewis Hamilton Drag Race With Top Gun Jet
  • Mercedes-AMG C 63 AWD 1,000HP GAD Motors
  • Mercedes-AMG EQS Ben Affleck Proves Batman Is Environmentally Conscious
  • Mercedes-AMG G 63 4×4² Will Give You A Testosterone
  • Mercedes-Benz 600 W100 Still Unmatched After 60 Years
  • Mercedes EQE Redesign Into A Proper V8 AMG
  • 2023 Mercedes-AMG E 63 No More V8 Power

Categories

  • A-Class
  • AMG GT
  • B-Class
  • C-Class
  • Citan
  • CLA
  • CLK
  • CLS
  • Concept Car
  • E-Class
  • EQ
  • F1
  • G-Class
  • GLA
  • GLB
  • GLC
  • GLE
  • GLS
  • Maybach
  • News
  • S-Class
  • SL
  • SLC
  • Sprinter
  • T-Class
  • Trucks
  • Unimog
  • V-Class
  • X-Class

Mercedes-Benz Worldwide

Copyright © 2023 Mercedes-Benz Worldwide