The most dramatic gullwing doors on cars

There are few better ways to make a car dramatic than to give it gullwing doors. Ever since the Mercedes ‘Gullwing’ first burst onto the scene, those doors have been a byword for automotive indulgence. There have been more humble applications of them, too, and they have not just been used to access the cabin. But they are sure to draw a crowd. Here are our favourites.

ALISDAIR SUTTIE

Mercedes-Benz 300SL 1954

Where it all started. The 300SL was never called ‘Gullwing’ by the factory but that’s how it’s widely known. The nickname stuck because it perfectly describes the lift-up doors, which were needed to enable the massive sill structures that give the car its strength. (The 300SL Roadster that followed had a more rigid body and normal doors.) Power came from a 240bhp 3.0-litre straight six that briefly made the car the fastest in the world. The rich and famous flocked to the Gullwing when it was new. Developed from Mercedes’ earlier racing cars, the 300SL enjoyed its own competition successes and there were 29 lightweight aluminium versions made for those who find the £1 million entry price to Gullwing ownership today a little too accessible. At its heart, the Gullwing was a post-war statement: Mercedes-Benz was back, and so was Germany.