Mercedes 190 300 Sl 1954 63

Mercedes introduced their first unitary bodied car as the 180 in 1953. The following year the company revealed the 190SL with Plexiglas screen and lightweight doors. Not produced until March 1955 the production cars had bodywork akin to the 300SL and was powered by a 4-cylinder sohc engine of 1897cc. Production lasted until February 1963. Using racing techniques of µadding lightness' the 300SL was built around a complex tubular chassis that made conventional doors impossible. Thus the Gullwing was born in 1952 as a pure sports/racing car. The production version gained weight with road going features and a slightly redesigned body. Bosch fuel injection helped to get the extra power needed. 1400 coupes were built before being replaced by the roadster in 1957. This is a book of contemporary road tests, technical data, racing, restoration.

A lavishly illustrated tribute to one of the most beloved European cars of all time. For nearly seventy years, no car has moved the lovers of classic cars more than the 300 SL. A legend since its launch in 1954 as a gullwing coupe, the 300 SL has been seen as the very model of what a sports car can be, its style and beauty perfectly matched to its power and handling. This beautifully illustrated tribute volume brings together Hans Kleissl, one of the world's leading experts on the 300 SL, and former Daimler historian and Mercedes-Benz archive manager Harry Niemann. The resulting book captures the magic and mystique of the car through history, photographs, insights into its technological breakthroughs, and firsthand accounts of its storied run. There's no better gift for the passionate fan of the 300 SL.

More than 1,000 photographs in b&w and color illustrate the extraordinary variety of sports cars that have been offered to the public. All the great names are featured, including cars from Israel, Egypt, Spain, Switzerland, Norway and Brazil.

The recovery of Mercedes-Benz in the early post-war years was remarkable and its first prestige model was the 300 saloon. Using this car's engine, transmission and suspension, Mercedes-Benz entered sports car racing. It proved successful, winning the 1952 Le Mans 24-hour race, the Carrera PanAmericana and many other events. The production model made its sensational debut in 1954. 1,400 Gullwing coupes were built between 1954 and 1957. The contents of this book provide a glorious review of these historic Mercedes-Benz sports cars.

Provides detailed technical profiles of hundreds of cars from the massive machines of the '30s to the sleek compact cars of the '80s. 32 pages of brilliant full-color plates and 700 color and black-and-white photos.