65 Years Ago:Paul O’Shea’s first victory with the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLS

Paul O’Shea becomes American sports car champion 65 years ago in 1957 with the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLS based on the 300 SL Roadster (W 198). Before that, the racing driver wins the championship in 1955 and 1956 with a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupé (“Gullwing”). (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archive: 2001DIG172)

O’Shea’s first victory with the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLS

• Perfect triple in the American Sports Car Championship
• Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster (W 198)
• 430 kilograms lighter than the production version

Paul O’Shea is already a two-time American sports car champion with Mercedes-Benz when he competes for the first time in the new 300 SLS (“Super Light Sport”) on 2 June 1957 in Fort Worth, Texas. He promptly wins this début, and by the end of the season he has secured his third championship in a row. It is also the third title for Mercedes-Benz. In 1955 and 1956, O’Shea becomes champion of the popular racing series organised by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) on permanent racetracks and airfields with the 300 SL Coupé (“Gullwing”). The basis for the open-top competition car of 1957 was the 300 SL Roadster presented the same year. Compared with the standard version, the output of the SLS increases from 158 kW (215 hp) to 173 kW (235 hp), and the weight drops significantly from 1,330 kilograms to 900 kilograms.