TOP: Side elevation of a 1953 300SL, showing to perfection the side grilles and the gull-wing doors which will make this model forever recognisable and famous. BOTTOM: Frontal aspect of the same car, showing the prominent three-pointed star badge on the radiator grille and the recessed headlamps, which are quite small.

Although the Daimler-Benz directors had thought to withdraw from racing almost as soon as they had so successfully resumed this pursuit, by August 1952 in fact, and only went to race in Mexico that November because Herr Neubauer prevailed upon them so to do, development of the 300SL had been continuing, in readiness for the 1953 competition season that was to be still-born.

More power had been extracted from the 3-litre six-cylinder engine by replacing the Solex carburetters with Webers. The gain at first was a significant 11 bhp, increased to a useful 201 bhp at 5800 rpm after a re-designed cylinder head and bigger inlet valves and ports (diameter up by 2 mm, to 44 mm) had been incorporated. Torque was now up too, at 202 lb ft That was one improvement the chassis had not been overlooked. To enhance the roadholding (a swing-axle at the rear was bound to give oversteer in high speed cornering) a low-pivot assembly was introduced, a solution Volkswagen were to use in the same context, Mercedes having radius-arms to locate the hubs. At last 16 in. tyres were adopted, and the gull-wing body was cleaned up, to reduce weight, and give a 9 per cent smaller frontal area.

That was satisfactory, but Daimler-Benz were not content to rest there. As I have previously remarked, this pioneer automobile manufacturer had most aspects of the art already tested and recorded. Fuel injection had been investigated 18 years earlier and now it was to be applied to the 300SL's power unit, under the auspices of Fritz Nallinger, with day-to-day development led by Heinz Lamm. Direct fuel-injection was found to lift the power of the 300SL engine to 208 bhp at 5700 rpm, or to 214 bhp with the larger inlet valves.

There further development of the 300SL might have been abandoned, had not there been a demand for a sporting Mercedes-Benz model for the Amerkan market. An order for 1000 such SL coups from the New York Mercedes importer, Max bowman, was not to be denied. It is said that he got his way, a prototype of what was to become the production* the catalogued version-of the 300SL gull-wing coupe, the greatest of the postwar sporting Mercedes-Benz cars, being ready in January 1954.

Naturally, various refinements were incorporated, to prepare this very fast, race-bred, and exciting Mercedes for the motoring public, who would represent a discerning sector of the market for high-performance prestige motor-cars. Means were provided for properly heating and ventilation of the interior, although it has been said that the 300SL coupé was never easy to ventilate. Styling changes were introduced to the body that had been drawn by Paul Braiq under the direction of Karl Wilfert, and it was then that the twin bulges in the top of the bonnet-panel—to clear the cambox cover and the plenum chamber of the fuel-injection air-intake—appeared.

One notable development related to the remarkable new injection system for the engine, consisting of that long aluminium trunk, with the throttle-valve in its nose, and with down-pipes leading to the six individual 17 in. diameter intakes for the valve ports, from the plenum chamber, for the fuel-injection system developed in conjunction with the Bosch company. The production edition of the competition Mercedes-Benz 300SL had not been quite finalized when it made its debut, in February 1954, at the New York International Motor Show. It retained the 7 ft 10-1/2 in. wheelbase of the racing version but the front track was now 4 ft 6.6 in. and the rear track was 4 ft. 8-1/2 in. Changes in the ingenious space-frame, necessitated by the alterations to the bodywork, put its weight up by 181 lb and the production 300SL scaled 2552 lb, or about 2880 lb ready to motor, with the very large capacity (34.3 gallon) tank full of petrol. The recirculating-ball steering gear from the Mercedes-Benz 300 saloon replaced the ZF worm-and-nut steering gear used on the earlier cars. Although the cars at the New York Show were on racing Dunlops, the appearance of the 300SL coincided with the realisation that automobile manufacturers should work with the tyre makers in producing tyres suited to the suspension and performance characteristics of a given car. So Mercedes-Benz and Continental got together, and the 300SL was delivered on 6.70 x 15 Continental tyres on 5-1/2K rims. To aid the driver, a vacuum-servo was incorporated in the braking system.

That was how the 300SL coupé made its debut to the public. Enthusiasts with sufficiently full wallets had eagerly awaited it, even if entry and exit were unusual, luggage space extremely restricted, and driving it properly and effectively no easy task A further disadvantage for British customers was that because of the inclined power unit, the 300SL was only available with left-hand steering. But to those who could afford this beautiful, extremely fast and accelerative Mercedes-Benz these things mattered little, or not at all. Soon the new 300SL, officially a Type M198, with the Type W198 power-unit, was causing much interest and excitement all over the World.

The inimitable bodywork of the 300SL gull-wing coupé Mercedes-Benz was the responsibility of the Singelfingen factory. A 1954 model is seen outside this impressive works.

English journalists had their first taste of the sort of motoring the 300SL could provide when tests were arranged for us at Silverstone client on 14 October, 1954. Rudolf Uhlenhaut drove selected motoring writers round the track, using the full main circuit, and later we were permitted to do a few fast laps ourselves. The car used was regarded as a demonstration hack; and it used the first of the production fuel-injection engines and was on Dunlop tyres. To give an impression of how the 300SL was regarded, in the context of the time, 29 years ago, I am quoting my report written after I had sampled this very impressive new Mercedes-Benz.

The 300SL Mercedes-Benz, which created such a sensation in sports-car racing two years ago, until the manufacturers withdrew it from competitions because "they had learnt all they needed to know," was brought to Silverstone on October 14th for the delectation of a few favoured motoring journalists.

'Rudolf Uhlenhaut, head of the Mercedes-Benz experimental and racing department, drove each journalist for two or three fast laps of the full Silverstone circuit. This was a wonderful experience, for Uhlenhaut is well known to be nearly as fast as Fangio when it comes to poking a Mercedes round the circuits, and while he may have kept just a little in hand during these demonstration runs, the 300SL was driven very fast indeed, using all the available space on the corners. Uhlenhaut used only top and third gears, bringing the car out of the corners by skilful opening of the throttle, the speed rising to something like 112 m.p.h. along the straights.

America represented an important export market for Mercedes-Benz and this is how the 300SL, appealing to blue-blooded sportsmen, was transported from the docks to New York, by Mercedes-Benz Distributors, Inc. of 443, Park Avenue.

'Later came the opportunity of trying the 300SL for oneself and while fast ''lappery'' masks rather than clarifies impressions of a strange car; especially one of this power and speed, we were impressed by the manner in which 6,000 r.p.m. came up in the indirect gears, equal to nearly 100 m.p.h. in third, the comfort and support of the cloth-upholstered bucket driving seat, the high-geared, taut, somewhat heavy steering, the very fine roadholding, swing-axle rear i.s. notwithstanding, and particularly by the great power of the light-to-apply, completely fade-free brakes, with their turbo-finned drums. Naturally, the extreme power and urge of the 300SL impressed. It also created favourable comment for the manner in which it stood up to this continual high-speed without falter, the exhaust neither blue haze nor black smoke, the engine starting promptly, and no trouble of any sort remotely thought of, except for a big nail which punctured one of the Dunlops, although this car, with the first production fuel-injection engine, was used as a road-hack and probably did nearly 200 miles of fast work at Silverstone. The accelerator has a short travel and when it is depressed the result is interesting! The car snaked somewhat when taking an adverse camber and it is possible that a de Dion back-end would hold it down better, although it is certainly an outstandingly stable and safe car.

An invitation to an exciting day's motoring perhaps? The gull-wing door on the passenger's side of the 300SL coupé, showing its contours and the handle for pulling it shut. Girls sometimes found it need care to negotiate the sill of the bodywork gracefully.

'It is a truly delectable motor-car and not surprisingly costs £4,392 15s. 10d in this country, in spite of the fact that Mercedes have studied the cost-reduction and hence use bolt-on wheels, drum brakes and a sheet steel body, etc. Although the price is high, there is, they appreciate, a limit, even for sales to the U.S.A.