By Ryan
Now it’s very common that many super cars have Scissor doors as
distinctive features, but do you know how Scissor doors become popular? That
should date back to 1954, the birth of Mercedes-Benz 300 SL.
Mercedes-Benz
300 SL was the first iteration of the SL-Class grand tourer and fastest
production car of its day. Introduced in 1954 as a two-seat coupé with
distinctive gull-wing doors, it was later offered as an open roadster.
The idea
of a toned-down Gran Prix car tailored to affluent performance enthusiasts in
the booming post-war American market was suggested by a car dealer called Max
Hoffman. Mercedes accepted the gamble and the new 300 SL – 300 for its 3.0
liter engine displacement and SL for Sport Leicht (Sport Light) – was
introduced at the 1954 New York Auto Show rather than the Frankfurt or Geneva
gatherings company models made their usual debuts. Built by Daimler-Benz AG,
the direct fuel injected production model was based on the company's highly
successful yet somewhat less powerful carbureted overhead cam straight 6 1952
racer, the W194.
The most
distinctive feature of 300SL was its gullwing doors. In order to create a
streamlined car body and ensure the intensity, the engineers finally decided to
let the doors open upward, and that design consolidate its legendary status.
Today, the 300 SL with its gull wing doors, technological firsts, and low
production numbers is considered one of the most collectible Mercedes-Benz
models, its unique design caused the sensation of Automobile design, and later
other car manufactures referenced it and develop into the scissor doors
nowadays. In all, whether the appearance or the performance, Mercedes-Benz 300 SL made several
innovations, it was a masterpiece of automobile design.
Sources
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