Filed under: Time Warp, Coupes, Euro, Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes 300SL to return, or just a rumor?
Will Mercedes-Benz bring back the 300SL "Gullwing?" Autobild seems to think so. Jumping on the retro bandwagon that has spawned the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger Concept and Chevy Camaro Concept, Mercedes might be hoping to cash in on a little nostalgia itself. While there's no official word from Mercedes, Autobild seems to think that the vehicle would come on the SL platform and be priced as a limited edition collector car.
The original Gullwing (pictured) hearkens back to the years 1954-57 and retails today anywhere from $275,000 to $2,000,000 if the competition history can be trusted.
So here's the question... is this car really just the anniversary edition SL550 that John reported on here? Like kids who can never get enough candy, we hope we'll get both cars...
[Source: Autobild via Channel 4]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rich 4:10PM (5/09/2006)
I'm probably in the minority here, but can we please resist, for once, the "remaking" of a classic?
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HemiDakota 4:17PM (5/09/2006)
Not a rumor.
The future, DaimlerChrysler [Dodge, Chrsyler, MB, Maybach] will host many halo variants on a flexable platform to curb production cost and yield a profit.
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Noah 4:23PM (5/09/2006)
This is one car best left in the halls of history. It's cool and all but not cool in such a way that can practicaly be applied to a modern design and not come off as silly. Especially at the prices required in order not to shame the image. Best left on the design room floor. Now if MB could just figure out how to lower the price of the SL65 about $150,000 I'd be happy....
--Noah
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JimboNC 7:16PM (5/09/2006)
Now if they offered the retro 300SL at its original price everybody would have one. When I was stationed at Ramstein AFB in 1964 a MB dealer drove one out to the base to show to prospects, it was white with red leather trim and had matchig, fitted luggage for its small trunk in white leather trimmed in red. The price then was.... are you ready for this....$6,250! Why didn't I buy one? My pay was $130 a month and it wasn't an export model.
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naggs 8:21PM (5/09/2006)
if it is a hard core ultra light track special not based on another model i say go ahead. if its an option package, forget it. if its a soft cruiser like all mercs then forget it.
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doglet 8:25PM (5/09/2006)
i agree, this car should be mercedes showing the world that it can still make a high performance small sports car. thats assuming that they still know how. rember the pos that bmw rolled out when they remade the 507. hopefully merc doesnt f up the remake of thier 50s classic sports car.
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TK 10:38PM (5/09/2006)
I feel that if Mercedes were able to do this and keep it relatively true to the original (With the exception of modernization), it could be a major factor in helping Mercedes reidentify themselves with their racing heritage, much more so than their SLR has done so far.
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Stoneman 11:05PM (5/09/2006)
The car was legendary, but unstable at high speed cornering. It tends to over-steer. But it's beautiful at any rate. Leave it alone -a remake would be a mistake.
Stoneman
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That One Person 4:16PM (5/10/2006)
NOOOO!!!! Mercedes will kill it...
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Jesse 11:23AM (5/11/2006)
They already did a remake of the SL, with gullwing doors and at about the same price point. It's the SLR McLaren.
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