If you love the Mercedes-Benz 300SL cars, a total of eight of the nine original series 300SLs residing in South Africa will be at the George Old Car Show on February 10 and 11.

It is the 27th rendition of the show, and it always proves to be heaven for petrolheads.

“We are thrilled to have committed entries of these magnificent cars,” says Waldo Scribante, the chairperson of the organising club, the Southern Cape Old Car Club, which has established this show as the premier Western Cape event for classic cars over the past three decades. The club expects in the order of 1 000 classic beauties to grace the event this time around.

“Seven of the 300SLs are Roadster versions, and for the first time, a magnificent original Gullwing 300SL Coupe will be joining them at our event. The Gullwing is presently the only one of these original SL series coupes in South Africa. The sight of this car joining seven roadsters is going to be awe-inspiring,” says Scribante, who personally owns one of the most comprehensive classic Mercedes-Benz collections in South Africa.

“From the club’s point of view, we are extremely honoured to have eight of this ultra-rare and very valuable Mercedes sports cars attending our show, and it points to the status that the George Old Car Show has in the classic car fraternity, all over the country.

“What I find intriguing is that the SL 300s entered for next month’s show hail from many parts of the country. The cars are arriving from as far afield as Johannesburg, Klerksdorp, Cape Town and the Paarl, while one of them is a local machine owned and garaged here in George.

“And even more significant is that our SL display marks, almost to the day, the 70th anniversary of the Mercedes-Benz 300SL.”

The 300SL – a motorsport heritage harking back to 1954

The original Mercedes-Benz 300SL premiered at a time of supreme dominance in international motor racing by the Stuttgart-based manufacturer. Juan Manual Fangio scored two of his Formula 1 world championships in the Mercedes W196 Grand Prix machine in 1954 and 1955. Mercedes-Benz also famously won the 1955 Mille Miglia in the hands of Stirling Moss, with its 300SLR sports racer.

The famous Mercedes 300SL Gullwing

The heavy tubular chassis bracing along the flanks of the competition-spec 300SL resulted in very high doorsills, which made cockpit access difficult for the average person. This access system was carried over into the production 300SL coupes built between 1954 and 1957.

First direct-injection petrol engine

The 3.0-litre straight-six overhead camshaft engine was the first production engine in the world to feature direct petrol injection. It produces 179kW, and canted over to one side to achieve the famous low SL bonnet line. Depending on the rear axle ratio, top speed of the SL ranged between 235 and 263km/h, making it the fastest production car in the world in the mid-1950s.

The Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster

By 1956 sales of the Gullwing coupe had tapered off and Mercedes released the 300SL Roadster version in 1957. A striking feature of both the coupe and roadster is the small frontal area achieved by the low bonnet line and the cockpit that is narrow relative to the wings of the car. A distinctive feature of the 300SL is the use of ‘eyebrows’ above the wheel arches, said to deflect rain away from the windscreen.

In total, some 1 400 Gullwing coupes and 1 858 roadsters were built between 1954 and 1963.

Source: MotorPress