SimRaceway – 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Released.

The groundbreaking 300SL coupe was based on the Le Mans-winning racer of the same name. It shared the low-weight, low-drag philosophies of its track-bred brother but it trumped it in one important area: power.

At a time when Europe was still recovering from World War II, Mercedes-Benz’ ‘race car for the street’ was introduced at the 1954 New York Auto Show and squarely aimed at affluent post-war America. Sculpted from steel and aluminum, the 300SL boasted precise steering and four-wheel independent suspension — both impressive feats of engineering for the time — as well as its distinctive ‘gullwing’ doors. Few realize, however, that these were a necessity rather than a fashion statement, their presence a result of the upward encroachment of the car’s lightweight tubular chassis frame.

It was this attention-to-detail, allied with the 300SL’s 212-bhp, 3.0-liter direct-injection straight-six that spawned the fastest production car of its time. A coupe that could accelerate to 60 mph in under nine seconds and reach a top speed of almost 140 mph.

To own one of the most collectable cars in Mercedes-Benz’ star-studded history, buy the 300SL “Gullwing” today on Simraceway.