Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing driven - the first ever supercar? | evo ICONS

Driving a £1million Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing, plus the extraordinary back story of an automotive icon. With thanks to RM Sotheby’s
To read a Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing buying guide, visit our sister site, Classic and Performance Car: www.classicandperformancecar.c...
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[@ScaryPMA]

his voice sounds like he is about to cry every second

[@awethesound]

Everybody has to go through puberty at some point.

[@winistan]

knowing this car won't be with us for long is enough reason to ...

[@nageen123naz]

I would

[@kraenk12]

+ScaryPMA I'd be sincerely moved to be allowed to drive one of these masterpieces as well!

[@BixenteDelBosque]

+ScaryPMA You're not getting it everyone, it's just his voice!

[@grmancool]

My favorite car of all time! Very lovely! I want it!

[@nikb6528]

+Jason haha savage

[@2Truth2you]

+Grman Rodriguez Silly doors though.

[@StephenWhite55]

+Imma Pain On the contrary - the gull-wing doors are one of the most important technical innovations in the whole engineered-package. This is NOT a 'styling feature'! The reason for them, is to allow the entire lower half of the chassis to be unbroken by the door 'holes' (if you look at a 'straight side-view' of the car, you'll see just how high up the car's side, the bottom of the door is) - the lower half of the chassis is a single, unbroken box-section structure, which is extremely lightweight, for it's torsional stiffness. This is 'pure' race-car engineering, and it was very innovative, in it's day. Too bad about the swing-axle rear suspension... :)

[@gotglasses]

The doors are cool, but a real PIA. It was an answer to the need for a stiff chassis . Unfortunately in a rollover crash you cannot get out and will probably die there if you bleed out waiting for help. Mercedes never talked much about that and brought the Roadster out in a hurry.

[@robertbinstead7662]

you havent driven mine

[@cantavukcuoglu4375]

Some people call Miura the first super car but 300sl is just flawless

[@robertbinstead7662]

a what !!

[@autodelta93]

This and the BMW 507 are in my opinion the most beautiful german cars

[@TobRacer]

Agréé but what about the Porsche 356 ?

[@autodelta93]

TobRacer Beautiful indeed

[@iansoderlund3539]

+TobRacer Porsche 550 spyder might be nicer though.

[@leotam3372]

Both Max Hoffman's babies, along with the 356 speedster

[@roberthunker8957]

The most beautiful car ever build. I don't care Enzo Ferrari said the Jaguar E type was the most beautiful ever made to me the 356 is. Like Ferrari build great looking cars back then. As for first supercar it's the 300 SL since it was only car sold for road daily use at least ( This type ) Bugatti all most all brands sold their cars for road use after they raced it. This was the first production supercar that wasn't used for racing they build it for the rich and famous. . The first hypercar and one of my all time favorites is the McLaren F1.

[@SupercarAdvocates]

Stunning car, the pinnacle of classic Mercedes/German ownership

[@hagestad]

that is basically Mercedes-Benz Type 300 "Adenauer" limousine just with different body/frame. That proves that people go for the looks. Otherwise those are very similar cars.

[@robertbinstead7662]

more money than sense

[@TosinSalisu]

Nick Trott absolutely nailed this review. Well done sir.

[@robertbinstead7662]

yeah put a nail in my tyre

[@DoctaM3]

Truly an awesome car with true automotive historic significance. Did a rally last year & had a coupe & roadster & they were magnificent to see on the road. Great video Evo.

[@robertbinstead7662]

bollocks

[@ICEMANZIDANE]

The best looking car EVER ! Its a Dream. Even today its still gorgeous and it still drives so good. Dont forget how old this car is what a masterpiece.

[@robertbinstead7662]

how old is it, i forgot

[@nikb6528]

That sound is on par with the best sounding cars of all times, and the design, oh god! Those gullwing doors should have been kept as an iconic touch hitherto and into the future.

[@muhammedshaheen2744]

i have had a 1/36 th scale model of the gullwing since i was 9 or 10 years old . it was given to me by a shopkeeper for free because i couldnt stop staring at it when i first laid my eyes on it . i still have it with me , and if i ever make it big and rich enough to become a collector this is the first car im going for.

[@toddjenkins1095]

The idea of the 300SL being a supercar has to be taken in context. It was the McLaren F1 of its day. As Nick said, it was a racecar built for the street... only better. One correction to his narrative is that he Gull Wing had a road tested top speed of 155 mph not 135 mph. With the tallest gearing available from the factory is was said to be able to do 162 mph. It may be argued that he Roadster version was a Grand Turing car (although a racing version did win the 1957 D Sports SCCA Championship in the hands of Paul O'Shea), the production Gull Wing competed in and won many professional races in its day much like the F1 did. Two races of note included winning the first and only NASCAR sportscar race (leading flag to flag) and coming in 5th overall in one of the greatest races of all time, the 1955 Mille Miglia (the one won by Sterling Moss in a 300SLR), beating many full-on racecars from Ferrari and others. In fact, in a head-to-head race between the 1952 300SL racecar and the 1955 production Gull Wing, I would put my money on the Gull Wing. Supercar or not, it was one of the most significant (and beautiful) production cars ever built IMHO.

[@SikhWitIt13]

Greatest car of all-time. And this is a real car guy, love his passion. Thanks for such a fantastic video.

[@evo]

+SikhWitIt13 Thank you for watching. It's a pleasure to bring you these films. Nick

[@Genjinai]

Most people don't understand how advanced this engine was at the time. It's 2016 now and you can walk in any BMW dealership and buy a car with a straight 6 twin turbo charged engine with 240 hp. It's a 3 liter straight 6 exactly like the 300 sl engine but it needs 2 turbo chargers to give 20 more hp. That's 65 years of progress for you. :)

[@timmietz]

Jesus! £1 million. Just $350k 6 years ago. Talk about a great investment!!!!

[@NafaratMiyaMiya]

Thank you for that wonderful short film, I had goose bumps at the end when you revved it... it will always be one of the most desired cars that was ever built. Great Job EVO

[@longtailgt]

This was such a beautiful video! I had to stop whatever I was doing and concentrate on the car. Nick, you should do more reviews. Good job with this one. However, why did you not mention that with top speed of 161mph, this was the fastest street car when it was launched? That is one of the main reasons this car is considered a supercar.

[@evo]

+BlackWind There's a fair amount of controversy about the top speed. Some very tall geared cars could, apparently, do 160mph. However, most road cars weren't fitted with this (optional) gearing. It would be nice to do a proper performance test of a car today, with modern fuel and oils - but I doubt any owner would be brave enough to let us do it! Thanks for watching and commenting. Nick

[@longtailgt]

***** Oh, I see. Would like to see that top speed test happen in the future someday!

[@winistan]

Your review was a treat to watch ! absolutely brilliant

[@robertbinstead7662]

more like a threat

[@radmansa5514]

Beautiful, just looking at the SL makes you smile, imagine driving it 👌👍

[@robertbinstead7662]

makes me cry

[@JoaoBorgesSr]

Absolutely brilliant video! Great words for this amazing classic! I love the Gullwing!

[@lisonjohnny3725]

这部车十分经典啊，很喜欢EVO的作品，希望以后有更多这种经典车型的视频

[@runnerbaba]

Thank you EVO TEAM !!!!

[@giuliocarmassi]

So stunning. They should make a car after it, of that size and weight. And not a monster $150,000 ultra GT. if they made a $35,000 small car after this, with even just 220hp they couldn't produce them fast enough for the showroom! Simple, no frills, elegant, great visibility, light, direct, and small.

[@lilsaint256]

They did sort of. The sls was kinda based of this car, including the gull wing doors and elongated hood. They even made a racing version which did well in the many GT competitions around the world, particularly in endurance series'.

[@mcspikesky]

+Giulio Carmassi Car these days needs so much chassis reinforcement and safety features it would have to be made of very expensive materials to achieve what you're talking about. A 23 year old says on the internet :D

[@abisz007007]

So basically a mazda mx-5 from merc

[@giuliocarmassi]

+abisz007007 yup. A New miata, but designed for adults that like design and not for kids. It could totally be done for 35,000 if the Miata can be had for 28. Fiat had the chance to do that, but it still didn't really happen. Still looks like an average toy. Mini maybe will do it with the "superleggera". If they do I'll be right there buying it.

[@cesteres]

+Giulio Carmassi Replicas would be totally able to sell. Maybe there would be legal issues in areas of emissions and safety. Cars are not as beautiful these days.

[@Nakke144]

Good presenting, a good review and a gorgeous last shot at the end. Thank you.

[@slcncr]

Without a doubt one of the most beautiful Cars *ever* made.

[@GrotrianSeiler]

Wonderful wonderful video. Thank you EVO team.

[@iPhone4ever]

Thx please more of that! What a beautiful car

[@alex91062]

To me this is the most beautiful car ever. It's unbelievably classy and elegant. You're very fortunate to drive it, good job.

[@milesmilton1]

more videos like this please evo, love cars with a story!

[@bikeswithmike164]

Nice to see a true classic super car on the channel.

[@SuperSharang]

Its really great that you go back to the classics every once a while. A complete channel for any petrol head this.!

[@erichartke4331]

Just a breathtaking sight and that exhaust note! Great video.

[@aswinprasetyo3211]

The last 30 second is so wonderful it does the car justice

[@mopsnuf]

Beautiful story and car. Thank you!

[@alexlam24]

Doors up panties down - Team Salamone

[@justinvega5411]

alexlam24 yes, Salamone is a legend!

[@pavlokostyushko1810]

amazing video, love the story behind this car. More videos like this please evo :D

[@xbalraj]

great video, kudos evo.

[@midnightfuture]

I'd like to see a "Singer" treatment for the 300 SL Gullwing. There are a bunch of tasteful modifications I think would bring the car beautifully into the present, while preserving its heritage. Maybe on a replica.

[@owenchinaloi8588]

+Oluseyi S look up the renntech one.

[@midnightfuture]

Gavin Morris Thanks for the recommendation! I searched, but I kept finding customizations of the SLS AMG roadster. Do you have a link by any chance?

[@owenchinaloi8588]

a more common find on google would be renntech sl 190,not exactly the sl30,but still very tastefull

[@midnightfuture]

Gavin Morris Yeah, I found that one, too. Thanks :-)

[@duncanpitfield1212]

I love how you're a bit choked up as you're lapping, I know I would be, ace video!

[@aumkar2]

Great storytelling whilst driving the most beautiful of them all.

[@rossgoodwin2700]

It's a beautiful piece of history!

[@300ZCorradoVR6Z]

This was great, thank you!

[@alexander1485]

I believe that the Duesenberg Model SSJ was the very first supercar, only 2 were made, and had over 350 Horsepower before 1935!

[@Tortelli-NL]

Good friend of my dad owns an 300 SL roadster and a few years ago i had the pleasure to be passenger for a day. Amazing car is probably the best discription. Back then (~2010) the car was already worth a lot, but not the crazy numbers they are doing at this moment. Mainly the reason why the car isnt driven much anymore.

[@nedkline886]

always one of my fav o rite cars. just stunning. i can remember as a kid in the 50s wanting a 300 SLR.

[@NitroModelsAndComics]

I had the distinct pleasure of bringing one of these back to life in the late 80's. Same white hue as this car, that one was a 55 I believe. Blue interior and simply wouldn't run until I sorted the injection and the leaks within it. Once sorted it snorted to life with a vivacious roar. I slogged it warts and all up the Cape road for some 50 miles. It behaved, never got hot and always braked reasonably. I'd like to think the mechanic who the car was entrusted too did a bit to see to that. Great auto.

[@fredschriks8554]

The sound of this car is just beautifull. One of the best and most pretty Benz ever build. great review guys.

[@parky2310]

Automotive perfection - everything about the car is incredible - as you said - the backstory, the design, the performance, the power and looks to die for - all from a car that's well over 60 years old! - That's 'Super' in my book!

[@TheGreatLoco]

What a great car, the sound note is fantastic too.

[@efcodpalama]

Absolutely beautiful machine. Wow.

[@andyokus5735]

I grew up in Boca Raton FL in the 70's. I always saw these Benz's on the road.

[@jgellingson]

Beautiful car, lovely sound. Who can not love the gullwing, iconic.

[@stefangrubesic2708]

Miura was first supercar with today's standards, mid-engined V12 but 300SL was so out of its time, it's one of those cars that are timeless

[@Rottie1973]

Great review of an iconic car. Please, do more reviews like this.

[@foadrightnow5725]

Such great back-story telling of one of the most beautiful and iconic cars in all of automotivedom!

[@armoredFrontier]

Sounds fantastic!

[@IanBasailleGahitte]

What a marvelous car, and what a soundtrack... Great video! And love the reference to Moonbase Alpha :)

[@P_E_P_1966]

280 SEC - Also with Injection - R6 - 1967 - My uncle had one :)

[@dr4ncer]

i love the car. and the guy presenting did an nice job of presenting it.

[@giodc8599]

How beautiful is this piece of art?

[@axeljacobs9723]

Awesome car, awesome video and presentation! I want one!!!❤️

[@cliffordbradford8910]

the 50s were a very underrated time for beautiful cars. Having seen one of these in person I can tell you that a clean and straight one is an absolutely beautiful piece of kit. I mean E-type pretty. There were lots of other very attractive cars at the time many being sold in dealerships in the US. A lot of European cars were still postwar austerity jobs or if they were performance cars they were barely covered race cars. But this thing has a proper interior and really attractive styling. The engine on this car is a beast as it is very long and I presume heavy but it absolutely purrs. It's always funny looking back to see the one/two bits of outdated tech on a groundbreaking car. That thing you'd change like how a McLaren F1 needs a sequential transmission and some decent brakes and how this car needs disc brakes and an independent rear suspension but in 1954 even F1 cars had drums and axles.

[@AlexParcharidis]

The most beautiful car ever!

[@robertbinstead7662]

are you blind

[@AlexParcharidis]

@@robertbinstead7662 Who asked your opinion?

[@garyleeorozco3275]

The Mercedes-Benz Gullwing is a beautiful masterpiece. I've owned a few Mercedes but never this model, but it will always be my favorite dream machine

[@frankfitzpatrick5300]

I knew an auto auction caller who had a 507 , beautiful from any angle . Very understated car !

[@Freimopp777]

+Frank Fitzpatrick yes very beautiful car. Sadly there are no reviews like this one about that car.

[@markstafford6357]

Sat in one about 6 or 7 years ago at a sale in London ... Almost took the top off my head getting in on the gull wing door .. but what a nice car !!!

[@thomaspipermusic]

It's top 5 most beautiful cars ever

[@matirs342]

Many people consider the Miura as the first "true" supercar, because of its mid mounted engine, although it was a game changer IMO it's not the first supercar. The 300 SL is because it applies racing technology to a road car and combines performance with refinement. As always, great video.

[@steppin808]

Very well done video. Beautifully narrated. More of that. Is the 300 SL Gullwing a supercar? Beauty, performance, and exclusivity in relation to most cars on the street at the time - by that definition this car is a founding member of the supercar class.

[@twofiveone68]

Wow, absolutely stunning. and agreed as far as being "the first super car" it was a road specific auto, design based on a race car, not a race car for the road. Thanks EVO!

[@Freimopp777]

Mercedes 300 SLR Uhlenhaut-Coupé next, please! Even more stunning as the 300sl imo.

[@PSNeko]

it´s the most beatiful benz ever! maybe even the most beatiful ever :)

[@ImStuckInStockton]

Can't wait to tune in to the auction and see the lucky soul that gets to keep this beautiful car!!

[@geekf1]

Very informative, lovely car. Great video.

[@johnandrews3568]

Great background on this... I would say the 300SL and the BMW 507 were the first supercars, paving the way for the onslaught on the 60s.

[@Frankmejor]

I didnt know much about it. I must say I think this and the 930 turbo are my all time favorites.

[@emrico]

Stunning, maybe one of the best sports cars of all time. For me though the first super car is the Miura!

[@jagervw]

Well said; agreed

[@jasongrig]

excellent review, great info shared

[@liamgordon7006]

In 1955 it did between 150-161mph depending on gear ratio. Thats damn impressive for that time period and they did it with a 4 speed manual. The Germans had it right. This to me at least is the first true sports car.

[@humblegeorge]

Outstanding !!!!!

[@tuitui00]

the last scene makes my day, fantastic

[@robertbinstead7662]

what

[@MattUK36]

I love the 300 SL Gullwing, but the world's first supercar is the Pegaso Z-102, a glorious Spanish supecar, way ahead od it's time. I hope you get the chance to drive one of them Nick and if you do bring a camera with you. Cheers.

[@frankfitzpatrick5300]

The 507 was a beautiful car also . They tried to somewhat replicate that look with the Z3 . I'll still keep my Roadster !

[@Freimopp777]

+Frank Fitzpatrick Yeah, would love to see the 507 on Jay lenos garage.

[@Captain_Coleslaw]

That has to be the best 6 cylinder sound there is!!!

[@fad3dsphynx796]

love the car and vid thanks

[@FanOfAttitudeEra]

Thank you Mr Hoffman !

[@Mercedes-Guru]

Aluminum body cars are about 4-5 million. I used to own a steel GW. Fun, but no insulation so lots of heat and noise. You need ear protectors for long drives. Great power when it comes on the cam about 3500 rpm. Very durable and user friendly. Bullet proof mechanicals. Great support from MB and the 300SL club.Steering is recirculating ball and very good.

[@nameless450]

What a fantastic car, classic!

[@ItsMikeArre]

My god what a beautiful car

[@westbournia1970]

Stunning......

[@omaralqaisy1267]

Gorgeous and Elegant

[@johntechwriter]

He's driving a multi-million dollar car and I admire him for not flogging it.

[@skytrain47]

Beautiful!

[@detective3728]

like 4:05 could not stop spotting that he is missing some skin on his arm, or he might even be a Humannoride!

[@xboy4331]

Looks like a scar from a compound fracture

[@boy638]

+Chrstian “Driver” mrclep He clearly sold some body parts for his dream car.

[@NigelNaughton]

Max Hoffman was instrumental in saving Volkswagen as well. Great video on an unbelievable beauty of a car.

[@THR33SIXX3MPYR]

In my opinion, this car, the Renault Alpine A110, and the original Mustang fastback are the most beautiful cars ever built- and they also have very interesting stories to tell.

[@THR33SIXX3MPYR]

Oh, and I very nearly forgot the GT40, the original that is!

[@alfie1217]

What a great sounding engine

[@gregmayled]

ouch, how'd you get that scar on your left arm, looks like it hurt like hell. And as always EVO, you are holding yourselves at the top of the car channels and magazines

[@G55STEYR]

hey man THANK YOU! Imagine that from the same size 3.0 but divided in 8 cyl and desmo valvtrain they squeezed 100 more hp for the SLR

[@eric36207]

What a beautiful thing!

[@cherrytechincreadible836]

Till 50 years It's the only car with Direct Injection, it's a true automative icon with timeless design and too ahead of it's time and Mercedes Benz Class Day after Day I m loving it more,True Super Car hat's off to Mercedes Benz for this classic timepiece.