This is a very special success story extending over the past few decades. For the past and, for a time, the present of SL history, from the 300 SL (W 198 series, 1954 to 1957) to the R 129 SL series (1989 to 2001), are concentrated in the person of Sacco in a way that cannot be said of anyone else at Mercedes-Benz.
At the 2012 Rétromobile, Mercedes-Benz Classic commemorates a very special victory this year: 60 years ago the legendary 24-hour Le Mans race ended with a spectacular double victory, achieved with 300 SL (W 194 series) racing cars. The impressive racing successes of the “gullwing” became the basis for the worldwide fascination for the SL model series from Mercedes-Benz which has continued undiminished to the present day. The trade fair presentation is organised in coordination with Mercedes-Benz France.
In the 1950s, a very special star rose in Stuttgart: the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class was born. It all began with motor racing sports. With its successes in international competitions, in 1952 the 300 SL competition sports car (W 194 series, “SL” stands for “Super-Light”), became the initial spark for the start of two fascinating production sports cars – the “Gullwing” coupé and the roadster: the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL and 190 SL laid the foundation for the tradition of this legendary sports car family in the year 1954.
The roots of the SL-Class lie in motor racing: in the early 1950s, Mercedes-Benz developed the 300 SL W 194 series racing car. It was a unique blend of three ingredients: lightweight construction, aerodynamics and reliability. The original SL was presented to the stunned press on 12 March 1952 on the motorway between Stuttgart and Heilbronn – a surprise coup absolutely in line with the later great sports successes of the W 194. Because the 1952 racing season was exceptionally successful for Mercedes-Benz.
Revelation: stable even without gullwings
After the gullwing version, the open-top variant is the second car to be independently developed by AMG. The Coupé and Roadster concepts were created in parallel – which brought decisive advantages during the development process. During this approx. 3-year period for the SLS AMG Roadster, the engineers devoted particular attention to the aspects of bodyshell rigidity, driving dynamics, the soft top and NVH.