Sad to say, many classic vehicles are often left to rot and inevitably make the dreaded trip to the crusher, after being stripped out of anything that can be recycled. Thankfully, that’s not always the case and some vehicles survive even after 60 decades. Even though the first-ever 300 SL, a racing model from 1952, was destroyed, the second car that was built with chassis number 194 010 00002/52 survived as it was in Mercedes’ ownership.
This makes it the oldest 300 SL in existence and in order to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the series, it was painstakingly restored to its original condition at Mercedes’ Classic Center in Fellbach, near Stuttgart.
The W 194 was the first racing car to be manufactured by Mercedes-Benz after the end of World War II. On June 15, 1951, the company’s management decided to participate in the 1952 season and ordered the development of the 300 SL Super-Light – which was later changed to 300 SL.
The car's most characteristic feature were its gullwing doors that were widened compared to the initial design in order to make access easier for the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.
Rudolg Uhlenhaut, head of Mercedes passenger car testing, developed a special frame that weighed just 50 kg. The bodyshell was manufactured out of aluminum and magnesium and the 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine was borrowed from the 300 saloon, aka the “Adenauer Mercedes” after Germany’s first post-war chancellor.
The engine was tuned by Mercedes engineers who increased its output to around 170HP. It was placed at a 50-degree angle to the left and fitted it with a dry sump. Thanks to car's low weight of 1,069 kg (2,356 pounds), the six-cylinder unit was capable of offering the SL a top speed of 230 km/h (143 mph), which was impressive at the time.
Overall, ten cars were constructed for the 1952 racing season, while the Stuttgart-based company developed an additional car, code-named W194/11, for 1953. However, the latter never participated in a race as Mercedes entered Formula 1 and the W 194 went on to form the basis of the W198 production 300 SL, the car that would live on for six decades and spawn six generations, the most recent of which made its world premiere at the 2012 NAIAS.
