Mercedes-Benz 300SL, the Car of the Century

HANS KLEISSL and Dr HARRY NIEMANN, Dalton Watson, £115, ISBN 978 1 85443 308 4

There’s a long list of names associated with the Gullwing and Roadster printed on the back of this substantial hardback tome. They range from Rudolfs Uhlenhaut and Caracciola to Sophia Loren and Picasso, thereby summing up the universal appeal of this car. The car of the century? That’s open to debate, but there’s no denying the fascinating tale behind it, nor its popularity among a certain strata of car collectors. ‘The high-net-worth individual’s MGB’ as one wag put it, while strolling around the Pebble Beach Concours.

The authors in this case are worthy of note. Hans Kleissl is the owner of HK Engineering, said to have worked on more than a third of all the remaining 300SLs. Dr Harry Niemann is a journalist and social scientist, with a particular interest in Mercedes-Benz history. These guys are authorities on the subject.

It’s quite incredible, in retrospect, to note Mercedes-Benz’s achievement in re-establishing itself from the ruins of World War Two to developing a world-beating sports car in just seven short years. The W194 arrived in 1952; Karl Kling and Hans Klenk finished second in the Mille Miglia – its first race! – following an epic battle with the works Ferrari 250S of Giovanni Bracco and Alfonso Rolfo. The 300SL went on to an outright win at Le Mans and in the Carrera Panamericana that same year.

From that, via other racing versions, came the darling of the concours set, a pioneer of spaceframe technology and an early adopter of fuel injection. Its structure led to that iconic bodystyle; the subsequent convertible was a stunning boulevardier.

Printed on high-quality paper, packed with beautiful period images, posters and technical drawings, not to mention anecdotes to leaven all that history, this definitive publication is presented in suitable style.