The 300 SL traces its origin back to a racing sports car, the Mercedes-Benz W194. ĭevelopment Origin in the W194 racing car The 300 SL was voted the 'sports car of the century' in 1999.
SL is the short form for 'super-light' in German (super-leicht) – Mercedes' first use of the designation, referring to the car's racing-bred light tubular-frame construction. The company introduced the 300 SL in February 1954 at the International Motor Sports Show in New York City (instead of Europe) to get it into U.S. Max Hoffman, Mercedes-Benz's United States importer at the time, inspired the 300 SL and saw an American market for such a car. Capable of reaching a top speed of up to 263 km/h (163 mph), it was a sports car racing champion and the fastest production car of its time. It was based on the company's 1952 racer, the W194, with mechanical direct fuel injection which boosted power almost 50 percent in its three-liter overhead camshaft straight-six engine. The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (chassis code W 198) is a two-seat sports car which was produced by Mercedes-Benz as a gullwinged coupe (1954–1957) and roadster (1957–1963).
