Mercedes-Benz 300sl Gullwing

Introduced in 1954 at the suggestion of Max Hoffman, an American Mercedes distributor, the 300SL was a landmark car and continues to be one 0f the most desireable sports cars today, regularly fetching nearly $500,000 at auction.  Although it was largely based on a production Mercedes sedan, the engine and performance were anything but ordinary. The 3 litre (183cid) straight 6 engine put out 212hp and marked the first use of direct, diesel style fuel injection-which is only now becoming common in production cars.  The powerfull engine, light weight and good aerodynamics of the 300sl allowed it to reach 160mph which was truly astounding in 1955.   Prohibitively expensive, rare, costly to maintain, cramped and impracticle, I think James May of Top Gear got it exactly right when named it the worlds first "supercar".  To see May test drive a 300sl, follow this link: James May on the 300sl