Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
Car scale model kit in 1/24 scale manufactured by Tamiya (ref. TAM24338, also 4950344243389 and 24338)

In 1954 Daimler-Benz caused great excitement at the New York International Motor Show when it presented its new sports car, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL. At that time, Mercedes' flagship model became the most powerful and fastest production car of the time, with no less than 215 HP and a maximum speed of 260 km/h.

The 300SL (Super Light) was inspired by the famous Mercedes racing car of the same name, from which it took the complex tubular grid-shaped frame created by Rudolf Uhlenhaut, head of development at Mercedes-Benz. And another of its essential features also came from that model, and from which precisely comes the nickname “gull wings” with which the 300SL is known worldwide, the body with doors that swing upwards.

The mechanics of the vehicle take as a starting point the six-cylinder Mercedes 300, which appeared in 1951, but a direct injection system is mounted, being the first time that this system has been installed in a gasoline car. Additionally, the engine has been mounted at a 45-degree tilt to give it enough space under the hood.

The coupe version disappears as sales decline and, in its place, Daimler-Benz will present a roadster in 1957 as the second version of the 300 SL. In total, 1.400 300SL coupes were manufactured (28 of them with aluminium bodies) and 1.858 300SL roadsters.