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VINTAGE: 300 Coupe Put Mercedes Back On Track
Written by: Wouter Melissen
UltimateCarPage.com   http://www.ultimatecarpage.com
06/30/2009
Le Mans (FRA)
 
With a seemingly unlimited budget, Mercedes-Benz dominated Grand Prix racing in the second half of the 1930s. A few years later, there was little left of the company other than a pile of rubble. In record time the factory was rebuilt and the racing-car designers set about developing a brand new flagship model.

The gullwing 300 was a game-changer for Mercedes, though now overshadowed by the more-glamorous 300SL sports coupe. (Photo: Wouter Melissen) » More Photos
Powered by a 3-liter six-cylinder engine, the four-door saloon was known as the 300. By 1950, the German company was in good-enough shape to again consider racing. Two of the 1930s Grand Prix cars were refurbished and entered in a number of Formula Libre races, but with little success. In the summer of 1951, the green light was given for the development of a new racing car, though on a tight budget.

For various reasons, Grand Prix racing was not an option. Instead, Mercedes-Benz used some parts of the production cars to build a sports racer. A new and ground-breaking tubular space-frame chassis combined low weight with superior rigidity, compared with the traditional ladder frame. Suspension was equally advanced with double wishbones and coil springs at the front, and swing axles with coil springs at the rear.

Chassis 07, shown here during the 2006 Monaco Historic Grand Prix, was built new for LeMans and driven to victory by Hermann Lang and Fritz Riess. (Photo: Wouter Melissen) » More Photos
The Mercedes-Benz designers decided to break with convention by fitting a coupe body to reduce drag and improve the top speed. They had to overcome the unusually high sides of the space-frame chassis, which did not allow for normal doors. Instead, they fitted doors recessed into the roof with hinges at the top, which were quickly referred to as “gullwing” doors.

Time and most importantly money was spared by using the six-cylinder engine from the 300. A first sign of things to come was the sportier 300S production car, introduced at the 1951 Paris Auto Salon, which featured a short wheelbase chassis and a three-carburetor, 150 bhp engine. In the new racing car, it was mounted in the engine bay slanted at a 50-degree angle to allow for a lower hood.

The single-overhead-camshaft engine was further
modified with dry-sump lubrication and larger Solex downdraft carburetors. This brought the performance up to a decent 171 bhp. Power was transferred to the rear wheels through an off-the-shelf four-speed gearbox. The completed machine was dubbed the 300SL for Sport Leicht or Sport Light.

Three examples were readied in time for the 1952 Mille Miglia. Mercedes-Benz' racing successes had not been forgotten, and the company's return to motorsport was highly anticipated. The new Silver Arrows were certainly not the lightest or most powerful cars, but the slippery shape, superb reliability and highly experienced team made the 300SL highly competitive.

During its debut at the Mille Miglia, the gullwing coupe was beaten only by a Ferrari. The first victory came a few weeks later at a race in Bern, Switzerland. The new Mercedes' performance had greatly impressed Jaguar, and they hastily fitted more-aerodynamic noses to the C-Type for Le Mans.

It was a gross mistake as the tight air intake proved too small to cool the cars, and all works C-Types were out very early in the race. This paved the way for a one-two victory for the 300SL, the first ever for a closed car.

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