This is a ‘Fire Engine Red’ 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster! We’ve already covered in detail the 1 of 1400 Mercedes-Benz 300SL ‘Gullwing’ Coupe, however, the roadster model does have some different characteristics from that car. The 300SL was also offered as a Coupe, also known as the “Gullwing”. Only 1400 300SL Coupe units were built from 1954-1957. All together making this 300SL Roadster 1 of just 3,258 built for the world. The doors of the Coupe variant famously featured a ‘gull wing’ function where the doors would open like wings allowing for the car to famously be called the 300SL ‘Gullwing’. The Roadster has conventional doors, and weighs about 276lbs more than the Coupe (3,131lbs). The 300SL roadster was priced at about $10,950 when it was first introduced, and now, prices can be seen skyrocketing well over $1,000,000 depending on condition, mileage, and of course lots of other specifications. The ‘SL’ name has caused a bit of controversy over the years, and it was listed as ‘Sport Leicht’ on the company website up until 2017, but because Mercedes didn’t officially announce what SL stood for, up until then various magazines and company’s have gone back and forth between ‘Sport Leicht’ and ‘Super Leicht’. Now, after a chance finding in the Mercedes Benz corporate archives, the SL is officially known as ‘Super Leicht’.
How many made? A total of 1,858 300SL roadsters and 1400 300SL coupes we’re completed, making for a total of just 3,258 cars!
Engine: 2,996 cc (182.8 cu in) M198 Straight six with slightly more power than the Coupe model at 240hp.
Debut: Geneva Auto Salon, May 1957
Top Speed: around 146mph
0-60mph: around 9.3 seconds.
Photo credit: @am_media_ny
Research: @rarecarsonly