Mercedes-Benz

The 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG isn’t your typical Mercedes. This unique sports car was designed an built by AMG, which is a division of Mercedes. This super-sleek vehicle gets its inspiration from the 300SL of the 1950’s, often referred to as the “Gullwing.” The price tag for a base SLS AMG in 2011 was just under $200,000.

Behind the 2011 version, one can see the influence of the 300SL of the 50’s. The similarities are all on the exterior of the vehicle, from the classic Mercedes-style grille to the long hood and short rear deck. Don’t forget the gullwing doors, another influence of the 300SL.

Under the SLS AMG is a chassis comprised of nothing but aluminum. The V8 engine has 6.2 liters and is hand-built. This gives the driver a blow-your-hair-back 563 horsepower and 479 foot pounds of torque. To make this amazing vehicle go, a seven-speed manual transmission that’s automated and has dual, aluminum shift paddles on the steering wheel is the only option offered by Mercedes. All of this power will get you down the quarter mile in only 11.6 seconds and from 0 to 60 mph in a mere 3.8 seconds. Top speed in this beast is 197 miles per hour.

Standard safety features include an antilock disc braking system, traction control and stability control, side airbags, side curtain airbags, knee airbags and the “mbrace” emergency telematics system offered by Mercedes.

If you like leather, the SLS AMG for 2011 has plenty of it. Leather can be found on the seats, dash, center console and doors. Other interior amenities include brushed metal air vent covers. Overhead is a faux suede headliner. The trunk is just large enough for the weekend getaway or golf outing, with just 6.2 cubic feet of space. Standard features include automatic climate control, COMAND interface, navigation system and a top of the line radio/CD player with all the bells and whistles.

The SLS above has been customized by Claus Ettensberger with C883 with staggered 20″ Front & 21″ Rear Forged in Anthracite/Machined Finish

The rarest of all Mercedes-Benz vehicles has to be the 1957 300SL. This beast was a rally roadster and only a limited number of them were produced. Unfortunately, no production models have survived unscathed to date. 1957 was the last year of production for the 300SL.

The 1957 300SL didn’t offer many changes in comparison to previous model years. The engine was an S6 3.0 liter that had 12 valves in the single overhead cam. The engine was capable of pushing out a maximum of 190 horsepower when pushed to 5800 rpm’s and displacing almost 3000 cc. The gearbox was comprised of a simple, four-speed, manual transmission. Holding up the vehicle was a tubular space frame. The entire vehicle weighed in at 3,050 pounds.

Keeping in line with Mercedes-Benz, the 300SL had numbered chassis and engines. This vehicle was also known as the “Gullwing” and is perhaps a more common name. Other unique features to the 300SL were the elongated front with a stubby rear-end. There was no hard-top version of this car. Hard-tops were not seen until 1958. The “SL” represented “sport light” although this vehicle was anything but featherweight.

In 1957, the 300SL would cost you about $7,300. As there were no completely original vehicles that stood the test of time, all models from 1957 have been rebuilt. This doesn’t matter to people who are interested in this classic car. In 2006, a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL was part of the RM Auction in Monterey, California. The car sold for an unbelievable $605,000! More recently, a 300SL went for auction at Gooding & Company in Scottsdale, Arizona in 2010. This vehicle has had many upgrades to make it safer and race friendly. The car sold for $522.500.