Miguel Sánchez
There is no doubt that the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL It is one of the great sports cars of all time. A car with which the German brand made a round play; design, originality, mechanics and performance combined to elevate the 300 SL to myth status.
A true prodigy of the 50s that today is remembered for many things but mainly recognized by its doors; those same ones that earned him the nickname of "Gullwing" or "gull wings”Thanks to its characteristic opening. A technical solution that came to solve the complication that for any German of a certain stature involved going out on the side where the opening did not go down to the height of the floor.
However, although the doors are the first thing that comes to mind when remembering the 300 SL ... The truth is that his greatest achievement is the engine. Why? Well because the M186 It is one of the milestones in the mechanical history of Mercedes. A truly revolutionary inline six cylinder capable of giving this sports car all its strength and the unique roar that you can hear in this video: the "Big Six" marketing in all its glory.
"BIG SIX", AN ENGINE THAT DRINKS FROM AVIATION
During the 30s, and anointed by the mission of secretly creating an army that violated the peace treaties of World War I, German engineers put all their creativity at the service of the war machine. The list of devices is overwhelming, reaching really striking heights when we refer to aeronautics destined for the fearsome Luftwaffe.
An air force equipped with engines like the Daimler-Benz DB 605: a 12 cylinder 730 kilos capable of yielding up to 1500CV. The heart of planes as feared as the Messerschmitt night fighter Bf 110 or the light Bf109, who could not resist the evidence that no army can always be invincible: on July 8, 1937, the Serbian footballer and aviator Bosko Petrović he achieved the first knockdown of a Bf109 on the outskirts of Brunete, Madrid.
Years later, and peace in Europe finally conquered after the German defeat in World War II, the German engineers put their skills at the service of friendlier artifacts. That is why those responsible for Mercedes-Benz recalled that that fearsome DB 605 had a gasoline direct mechanical injection system that had never been applied to the automotive industry.
By deriving Mercedes' top-of-the-range engines from those V12s it produced for military aviation, the idea of injecting the 300 SL came on its own: thus, in 1954 this sports car became the first series-production car with this. power system, replacing the three carburettors that fed the M186 engine installed in the 300 models and in the victorious W194 with a new technology arrived from the height of the skies and provided by Bosch. This is how the M198.
SIX IN-LINE CYLINDERS INCLINED AT 45 DEGREES
That was the first special feature in the application to model 300SL of M186 engine, which also achieved 25% more power. A new aluminum cylinder head and the inclination of the assembly to 45º to be able to enter the hood did, in general terms, the rest. It was the mechanics required by the formidable tubular chassis on which such a superb car was based.
Although the M186 has four variants, the basic data is that of a mechanic of 3 liters, 6 cylinders online y 12 valves able to deliver 215 CV a 5.800 rpm. All this driven by a single camshaft that runs through the cylinder head while operating the intake and exhaust valves. A curious engine in sports cars since this arrangement usually generates lower torque and power; however, in the 300SL, it proved to be more than enough to give this coupe all the verve needed to become a sports legend.
So you know, although in this life almost everything is visible… It is not only the incredible aesthetics of the 300 SL "Gullwing"What makes this car one of the most exciting sports cars of all time: its engine nicknamed"Big SixIt is a marvel in mechanics, power and sound. After all, a car is, above all, its engine. Do you remember that sentence of “commander”Enzo Ferrari saying "When I sell you a car I charge you for the motor, the rest I give it to you"? Well that's where the shots go.
- By the way, we leave you an explanatory video where you will be able to see very well the operation of this tremendous engine-.
