Page 14 - IFV Issue 4_ 2024

Estate News

EIGHT MERCEDES-BENZ 300SLS

AT 2024 OLD CAR SHOW

The biggest gathering of original Mercedes-Benz
300SL sports cars took place at the 2024 George

Old Car Show on 10 and 11 February. A total of
eight of the nine original series 300SLs residing in
South Africa were at the show, which is now in its
27th rendition in 2024.

hese are the cars that earned and Paarl - while one of them was a
the 300SL the title of “Sports local machine owned and garaged
TCar of the Century” in 2009! in George. Even more significant was
“We were thrilled to have committed that the SL display marked, almost to
entries of these magnificent cars,” says the day, the 70th anniversary of the
Waldo Scribante, chairman of the Mercedes-Benz 300SL.
organising club, The Southern Cape
Old Car Club, which has established The 300SL - A motorsport
this show as the premier Western Cape heritage harking back to 1954
event for classic cars, over the past The original Mercedes-Benz 300SL
three decades. premiered at a time of supreme
Seven of the 300SLs were roadster dominance in international motor racing
versions, and for the first time, a by the Stuttgart-based manufacturer.
magnificent original Gullwing 300SL Juan Manual Fangio scored two of his
Coupé joined the roadsters at the Formula One world championships in
event. The Gullwing is presently the the Mercedes W196 Grand Prix machine
only one of these original SL series in 1954 and 1955. Mercedes-Benz also spec 300SL resulted in very high
coupés in South Africa. “The sight of famously won the 1955 Mille Miglia door sills, which made cockpit access
this car joining seven roadster versions in the hands of Stirling Moss, with its difficult for the average person.
was awe-inspiring,” says Scribante, 300SLR sports racer. So, Mercedes came up with the
who personally owns one of the most The road-going Mercedes-Benz novel solution of extending the
comprehensive Mercedes-Benz classic 300SL, launched in coupé form at the door openings into the roof area,
collections in South Africa. New York Auto Show in February 1954, and hinging the doors so that they
From the club’s point of view, he said was derived from the first 300SL which flipped upwards, instead of outwards.
that they were extremely honoured was built by Mercedes’ competitions Daringly, this access system was
to have eight of these ultra-rare and department for the 1952 Carrera carried over into the production 300SL
very valuable Mercedes sports cars Panamericana, a tortuous 3 500 km race coupés built between 1954 and 1957.
attending our show, and it pointed run over dirt roads in Mexico. The special Thus, the racing DNA present in
to the status that the George Old Car triangulated, tubular space-frame the production coupé versions of the
Show had in the classic car fraternity, design of the chassis was largely carried 300SL resulted in the famous nickname
all over the country. over into the road-going version. of the car, the “Gullwing” as the doors
What he found intriguing was that resembled seagull wings when they
the SL 300s entered for the show The famous Gullwing Mercedes were both opened to receive the driver
hailed from many parts of the country. 300SL and the passenger. But there was a lot
The cars arrived from as far afield as The heavy tubular chassis bracing more to the 300SL that was trail-blazing
Johannesburg, Klerksdorp, Cape Town along the flanks of the competition- from an engineering perspective.

12 • Issue 4 2024 • The Villager