Alejandro Rubio
The racing Mercedes of the first half of the 50s are considered the perfect machine of the time. The first of them to arrive was the 300SL, from which the "street" sports car of the same name soon derived, a two-seater model introduced by the German brand in 1954 with which it practically put a racing car on the roads. They were looking for a versatile, fast and light car and they succeeded, as the sporting results of the time demonstrate.
The 300 SL, also known as Seagull Wings due to the upward opening mechanism of its doors -which was required by the chassis-, it had an advanced in-line 6-cylinder engine with a 2996cc displacement powered by one of the first injection systems and capable of generating a total of 215 CV at 5.800 rpm. The torque of 275 Nm would make more than one laugh today, but they were other times and the truth is that the flexibility of the injection engine was splendid.
Regarding the chassis, it is of a pioneering and expensive tubular structure which, together with the light alloy body, gave this "silver" bullet the character suggested by its initials: Sport Leicht (SL), or light sports, although it weighed about 1360 kilos. In 1957 the convertible version would arrive, with a modified frame and rear suspension.
From the Mercedes 300 SL he later derived the exclusively racing model 300 Slr, and precisely this starred in one of the worst automotive disasters in history in 1955, causing the death of dozens of spectators at Le Mans. And thus ended the sports career of the star brand for many years.
In this video you can see how Daniel Müller, a former German F3 driver, takes his 300 SL to the extreme, rushing and skidding on the section of the rally in Arosa, Switzerland, where an event for classics of great prestige is held. Seeing it is not difficult to justify the legend.
