An SL on chains: Schock and Moll after winning the 1956 Sestrière rally
DAIMLER AG
WHETHER THE 300SL is ‘the car of the century’ is debatable – where do Mini, VW Beetle, or Model T stand? – but it does have a very special place. Clever engineering, terrific performance, unmistakable looks and its then-unique gullwing doors mean everybody knows what it is, and the fact that variants of the engine also powered sports cars and grand prix cars to victory marks it as being pretty special. So are our authors: Kleissl is a devotee and restorer, while Niemann once ran the Mercedes-Benz archive, and they offer an immense amount of information and detail. But it’s not all nuts and bolts: there are histories of the triumvirate who made the car happen, of drivers, and lesser-known car variants – the SLS, a coupé with a huge airbrake on the roof, the very early roadster versions, a hard-top roadster with little gullwing roof panels.