Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (1954–1963)

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The road car that gave the world gullwing doors — and the first fuel-injected production engine.

The 300 SL began as a racing car, the W194, and was turned into a road car at the urging of Mercedes' US importer, who was sure Americans would buy it. He was right. The road car kept the racer's most famous feature: a lightweight tubular spaceframe so deep-sided that ordinary doors were impossible, so the coupe got upward-hinging gullwing doors instead.

Under the bonnet was another first. Its 3.0-litre straight-six used mechanical direct fuel injection — the first time a production car had it — lifting output to 240 hp and making the 300 SL one of the fastest road cars in the world when it appeared. It weighed 1,295 kg. The gullwing coupe was built from 1954, joined and then replaced by a roadster through to 1963.

In all, 3,258 were built. Few cars have contributed two such lasting things at once — an icon of design and a genuine engineering first.

Written and fact-checked for every.autos · every claim checked against the sources below · 2026-07

Sources (2)

Background

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL is a two-seat sports car that was produced by Mercedes-Benz from 1954 to 1957 as a gullwinged coupé and from 1957 to 1963 as a roadster. The road going 1954 fuel injected 300 SL (W198) traces its origins to the company's original 1952 300 SL carburetted racing car, the Mercedes-Benz W194. As one of the first automobiles, it was equipped with a mechanical direct gasoline fuel-injection system that increased the power output of its three-liter overhead camshaft slanted straight-six engine over that of it predecessor that was successful in racing.

Text adapted from “Mercedes-Benz 300 SL” on Wikipedia ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗ · retrieved 2026-07

Specification

Produced: 3,258 units
Engine: 2,996cc SOHC inline-six (M198), Bosch mechanical direct fuel injection
Power: 240 hp
Weight: 1,295 kg

Notes

Gullwing-doored coupe (1954-1957, 1,400 built) then roadster (1957-1963, 1,858 built); one of the first production cars with fuel injection. Widely considered the most famous Mercedes-Benz ever built and a consistent multi-million-dollar auction car. Distinct from the already-catalogued '300 SLR' racing car.

Production years

1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963

Sources

Wikipedia ↗Wikidata ↗ WIKIDATA · LIMITED_EDITION_RESEARCH confidence: high

Research sources (1)