Unidentified photographer
1954 (ca)
Mercedes 300 SL
Gelatin silver print, on chamois Agfa-Brovira paper28.7 x 19.8 cm (39.1 x 30 cm)
Bassenge Photography Auctions19th - 21st Century Photography, 8 December 2021, Lot: 4260
The 300 SL is a dream car of the 1950s and one of the most famous Mercedes vehicles. The roots of the legendary sports car lay in USA, as Maximilian Hoffman, an influential American automotive importer, claimed what we need over here is a great Mercedes-Benz sports car, and assured to have customers for the first 100 cars. By September 1953 he had convinced the Board of Management to build a sports car of the successful W196 300SL racing sports car. This is when the W198 300SL was born and made its debut at the International Motor Sports Show in New York, early 1954. The 300SL made it to the top with its breath-taking engine output of 158kW (215hp), it provided 250km/h and therefore was the fastest series production car of its time. The top-hinged, up swinging world famous Gullwing doors, are constructed that way due to its extremely lightweight design and spaceframe structure, which left no room for conventional doors. Approximately 1400 cars were built with 80% originally exported to the US, which makes the 300SL one of the most successful products of Mercedes-Benz outside of its home market.
LL/115609
