The Car Challenge

[Dannie Boy]

This should be fairly easy to name, but what was special about it?

[richard]

Merc 380 SL with a detract-able hard hood?

[PeteC]

Hood = roof or = engine lid? Boot = trunk. I don't want to get into things like bumpers, fenders and other bits.

[Dannie Boy]

Merc 380 SL with a detract-able hard hood?

Not what I'm looking for and not linked to hood or trunk!! It's not a 380 SL either.

[Bristolian]

As the photo is LHD, was it anything to do with the US version?

[Dannie Boy]

As the photo is LHD, was it anything to do with the US version?

No, it's something to do with the introduction of this model.

[PeteC]

As the photo is LHD, was it anything to do with the US version?

You beat me to it but so is Germany where it came from.....so I dismissed it. Pete

[PeteC]

As a side note, check the below link weekly if interested in playing an auto trivia quiz from the Pattaya Mail. Pete

http://www.pattayamail.com/automania/au ... 2014-34095

[Bristolian]

Is it the 300SL as this was the fastest production car of it's day if I'm mot mistaken?

[Dannie Boy]

Is it the 300SL as this was the fastest production car of it's day if I'm mot mistaken?

It is the 300 SL and yes it was the fastest production car at its time...........because..........?

[Bristolian]

This is a real shot in the dark and 101% guess...first fuel injection system rather than carburettor ?

[Dannie Boy]

This is a real shot in the dark and 101% guess...first fuel injection system rather than carburettor ?

Not such a shot in the dark:

The Mercedes-Benz 300SL was the first iteration of the SL-Class grand tourer convertibles and fastest production car of its day. Internally numbered W198, it was introduced in 1954 as a two-seat sports car with distinctive gull-wing doors and later offered as an open roadster.
Built by Daimler-Benz AG, the fuel-injected production model was based on the company's highly successful yet somewhat less powerful carbureted 1952 race car, the Mercedes-Benz 300SL (W194).
The idea of a toned-down W194 tailored to affluent performance enthusiasts in the booming post-war American market was suggested by Max Hoffman. As such, it was introduced at the 1954 New York Auto Show rather than the Frankfurt or Geneva shows at which other Mercedes models made their debuts. The "300" in its name referred to its three litre engine displacement, and "SL" stood for "Sport Leicht" (Sport Light).
The 300SL was best known for its distinctive gull wing doors, first-ever consumer fuel-injection, and world's fastest top speed. The gull wing version was available from March 1955 to 1957, the roadster from 1957 to 1963. It was followed in the Mercedes line by the 230SL.

[Nereus]

If you want one here`s your chance:

Original to spread its wings

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/motori ... its-wings/

A decrepit 1956 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing that has been sitting on flat tyres in a Californian garage for at least 30 years is set to be auctioned in Scottsdale, Arizona, this weekend.

The car is being sold by the major classic car auction house Gooding & Company, which claims the Merc is in almost completely original condition, including most of the factory-applied black paintwork.

In the boot is the original tool roll and storage bag for the removable side windows.

Adding to the appeal of both cars is the rarity of black-painted Gullwings, with only 108 such cars leaving the factory out of the total Gullwing production run of 1400.

Gooding reckons the big money will go to the restored car, and has estimated it to sell for up to $1.9 million. They reckon the unrestored car will go for up to $1.6 million.

That difference indicates a couple of things: one, the going rate to restore a Gullwing from a complete and original car is around $300,000.

Gullwing.jpg (19.76 KiB) Viewed 326 times

[STEVE G]

When I was a youngster back in the 70's my Father was the service manager of a Mercedes dealership in the UK and I remember they had a 300SL tubular chassis hanging up in the service area. It was an incredibly light looking construction compared with the average 1950's car chassis.

[Homer]

... Adding to the appeal of both cars is the rarity of black-painted Gullwings, with only 108 such cars leaving the factory out of the total Gullwing production run of 1400. ...

Sometimes specific option combinations on a car were rare for a good reason. Black was a bad color for the gullwing. Side windows don't roll down, they were either snapped on or taken off. I've seen it demonstrated, it was neither fast or easy. No air conditioning, of course, just vents. Not enough vents. The cars were ovens, which is why Mercedes discontinued the coupe, replacing it with a roadster.