STUTTGART – Jan 10, 2012: The origins of the SL class are rooted
in motor racing: in the early 1950s, Mercedes-Benz developed the 300 SL
racing car (model series W 194. This, the grandfather of all SLs,
undertook its initial test drives in November 1951 on the Solitude circuit
just outside Stuttgart, as well as on the Nrburgring and the
Hockenheimring. The vehicle was introduced to an awestruck press on 12
March 1952, on the autobahn between Stuttgart and Heilbronn.
The 1952 racing season was to prove an exceptionally successful one for
Mercedes-Benz, as a look at the results of the 300 SL’s various appearances
reveals: second and fourth places in the Mille Miglia, a threefold victory
in the «Prix de Berne» sports car race, double victory in the 24 Hours of
Le Mans, fourfold victory in the Nrburgring Anniversary Sports Car Grand
Prix and a double victory in the 3rd Carrera Panamericana in Mexico. The
brand had made its return to motor racing with a true flourish, while the
continuing advertising impact ensured it was firmly back on the
international scene.
The first 300
SL no long exists, having been scrapped during its time with the company.
However, the second car to be built, with the chassis number 194 010
00002/52, is still with us and has been in company ownership since it was
built in the racing workshops in 1951/52. This oldest existing SL has now
been painstakingly restored to mark the anniversary of «60 years of the
SL», which will be celebrated in 2012. This involved the vehicle being
completely dismantled at the Mercedes-Benz Classic Centre in Fellbach, near
Stuttgart, then every single component meticulously examined and, where
necessary, restored according to the very highest standards of authenticity
and quality. The clear remit was to retain the substance in every respect.
The second 300 SL (W 194 ever to be built is now therefore revealed in new
splendour – yet continues to bear with pride the traces of its long
and thrilling life.
The restoration of the bodywork was a particularly tricky process, as it
is made out of extremely fine aluminium/magnesium sheet metal which, by its
very nature, is extremely delicate. Time had also taken its toll on it in
many places. It took the specialists around six months to bring the body
shell of the oldest SL in the world still in existence back to its former
glory. The restoration of the vehicle lasted ten months in all, which, in
view of the extensive work involved, represented a very tight schedule.
All the effort was well worthwhile, though. When the engine of the
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, which bears the original registration plate
«W59-4029″, is started up once again and the vehicle quickly picks up
speed, it is easy to believe that it can still manage a top speed of 230
km/h and that this is the car that enjoyed one of the most successful
sports careers of the 1950s.
The first motor racing vehicle to be produced by Mercedes-Benz
after the end of the Second World War appeared at a time when Europe still
lay in ruins. On 15 June 1951 the Board of Management resolved to
participate in motor racing once again from the 1952 season and
commissioned the production of the «300 SL Super-Light», as the new car was
initially known. The suffix was later shortened to the simple letters SL
– so giving rise to the model designation 300 SL. Its M 194 engine
was derived from the engine used in the Mercedes-Benz 300 prestige saloon,
also known as the «Adenauer Mercedes». For its use in the racing car, the
engineers increased the output to around 170 hp (125 kW. The racing
engine, equipped with dry sump lubrication, is canted at an angle of 50
degrees to the left.
The body of this first SL pre-empts certain elements of the later
series-production sports car model. Among these are the low bonnet of the
pre-war racing cars, with a Mercedes star mounted on the grille of the
cooling air intake. The famous swing-wing doors are a characteristic
feature of the Coup: they are cut deep into the roof, open upwards and
were originally conceived purely as access hatches that opened only as far
as the beltline. During preparations for the «24 Hours of Le Mans» the door
openings were enlarged, giving the even more pronounced effect of extended
wings. This led to the car being nicknamed the «Gullwing» by the Americans
and «Papillon» (Butterfly by the French. In two races the 300 SL appeared
with a Roadster body rather than as a «Gullwing» model.
Lightweight construction was one of the key priorities for the 300 SL.
Wherever possible, efforts were made to save weight – the body shell is
made out of sheet aluminium/magnesium, some of the mechanical components of
aluminium or magnesium, while various parts are bored to make them lighter.
Another way of improving competitiveness was to make the body as
aerodynamic as possible. Rudolf Uhlenhaut, who was the head of passenger
car testing at Daimler-Benz at that time, developed a special framework for
the W 194, weighing just 50 kilograms. This is made out of very fine,
high-alloy steel tubes designed to absorb tensile and compression
forces.
The interior is panelled throughout and, unusually for a racing car,
exudes an air of comfort. Speedometer and rev counter are perfectly
positioned in the driver’s field of vision, with the smaller instruments
for water temperature, petrol pressure, oil temperature and oil pressure,
as well as the car’s original stopwatch, located below them. The
well-contoured, bucket-type seats are upholstered in tartan woollen cloth,
while the four-spoke steering wheel can be removed to make getting in and
out of the car easier.
A total of ten W 194 vehicles were built for the 1952 season. A
successor model was also developed in readiness for the following year
which, as the eleventh SL to be built, is also known as the W 194/11. It
never did race in the 1953 season, however. From 1954 onwards Mercedes-Benz
competed in Formula 1 racing, while the W 194 was developed further to
become the 300 SL series-production sports car (W 198. The
series-production vehicle became the dream sports car of the 1950s, going
on to be awarded the accolade of «Sports car of the century» in 1999.
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