Born in 1954, the Mercedes-Benz Gullwing 300SL, became the symbol of Mercedes’ post-war renaissance.
The Six-cylinder sports car could reach almost 220 kilometres per hour in 8.8 seconds, making it one of the fastest vehicles of the 50’s.
The first Gullwing 300SL was imported to Australia in 1956, arriving in Perth to be on exhibition at the city’s Royal Show. Being one of the most exciting production cars of the time, Australia was ecstatic to say the least.
The Gullwing 300SL had a tubular space-frame chassis with aluminium doors, bonnet and boot.
The iconic car was immediately successful, the 300SL stood alone with its distinctive doors, first-ever production fuel-injection, and fastest top speed in the world.
Generally, the 300SL is considered to be the first supercar, a racer-turned-production machine capable of hitting 160 mph in an era when 100 was a stretch.
