Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupé (W 198), 1955

Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (W 198, 1954 to 1957). Photo from Le Mans Classic 2022. 

Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupé (W 198), 1955

In February 1954, the 300 SL series production sports car (W 198) celebrated its world premiere at the International Motor Sport Show in New York. The Coupé was called the “Gullwing” or the “Papillon” (butterfly) owing to its distinctive roof-mounted doors, which resembled a gull’s wings. However, the solution is not an aesthetic end in itself, but technically necessary. This was because the tubular roll cage was so high at the sills that conventional door designs were simply not possible. The high-performance sports car was based on the legendary 300 SL racing sports car (W 194) from the 1952 season. The enhanced W 198 was the world’s first series production passenger car with a four-stroke engine and direct petrol injection. With an engine output of 158 kW (215 hp) – a good 25 per cent more than the carburettor motor racing version of 1952 – and a top speed of up to 250 km/h, the W 198 was in the top echelon of production sports cars in its day, which also predestined it for racing. The triple class victory with the 300 SL “Gullwing” at the Mille Miglia 1955 by John Cooper Fitch and co-driver Kurt Gessl is legendary. From 1954 to 1957, a total of 1,400 units of the 300 SL Coupé were built, 29 of them with an aluminium body.

Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupé (W 198)

Production year: 1955
Cylinders: 6/in-line
Displacement: 2,996 cc
Output: 158 kW (215 hp) at 5,800 rpm
Top speed: Up to 250 km/h