Coys Auction - Techno Classica Essen
Essen
Germany
Saturday 2 April 2011
Motor Cars 15:00
Admission by catalogue only - admits two.
Estimate: €400,000 - €450,000
Registration Number: GVS 13
Chassis Number: 198 040 65 00279
It is something of a tribute to the speed and strength of the post-war German ‘economic miracle’ that only nine years elapsed between the end of WWII and the introduction of what was certainly one of the most sophisticated cars of the 1950s. The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was conceived as a sports-racer rather than a sports car, first seen in competition in 300SLR form before the production model 300SL appeared. It went on to notch up an impressive number of competition successes beginning with a small number of racing SLR prototypes in 1952 in that year's Le Mans 24 Hours, and then in the marathon Carrera Panamericana. The production version came with a six-cylinder 3 litre instead of the straight 8, but carried over an amazing technical specification for the time. It com