Autoblog

How a Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing can ruin the best of intentions

Zach Bowman — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 19:13:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Videos, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

Were we the proud owners of a Merededes-Benz 300SL, we imagine it would take a court order to pry us from the driver's seat. Even then, we couldn't promise we'd oblige the law. The team from Petrolicious seems to have found an owner who shares our frame of mind. The video below follows one SL owner as he departs for a quick run to the store to pick up some last-minute holiday items. Except, with a clear road ahead and a piece of vintage German engineering idling beneath him, the owner takes his cue to exercise the 300SL a bit.

Of course, that walk around the block may put his marital bliss in jeopardy, but sacrifices will be made. So, the story is a little corny. We'll let that slide so long as we get to peep more gorgeous shots of the red Gullwing burbling through the hills. Check out the video below for a look yourself.

Continue reading How a Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing can ruin the best of intentions

How a Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing can ruin the best of intentions originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Dec 2012 19:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Turning scrap metal into German classics is our kind of recycling program

Noah Joseph — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:57:00 EST

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Classics, Etc., Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Design/Style

There were plenty of curiosities to see art the Frankfurt Motor Show this year. City cars converted into beach buggies. Electric supercars. Exotics with trick folding roofs. Even a tuner Porsche crossover posing as a new vehicle. But few were as intriguing as what we found in one of the back halls of the Frankfurt Messe.

What you see here is a pile of scrap metal transformed by artistic vision into a full-scale replica of the iconic Mercedes-Benz 300SL "Gullwing." It's made entirely of reclaimed car parts and random pieces of scrap by German firm Giganten Aus Stahl, which roughly translates as Giants of Steel. It's just one of a number of creations the studio offers to those with enough, um, "scrap" to buy the unique creations.

Other projects have varied to include full-scale replicas of famous movie characters - from Peter Fonda in full Easy Rider glory to Aliens and Predators - as well as animals, athletes, even pieces of furniture. Of course we were most interested in the cars, and in addition to the Gullwing we found similar replicas of a classic Porsche Spyder and pre-war Auto Union grand prix racer.

You can check 'em out in our trio of high-resolution image galleries, but if you like what you see, don't expect them to come cheap: the Gullwing fetches a princely €69,000 ($96k), while the Porsche and Auto Union are available for €39,000 ($54k) and €54,000 ($75k), respectively. Head over to Classic-Sportwagen.de and Giganten-Aus-Stahl.de for more information.

Turning scrap metal into German classics is our kind of recycling program originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes-Benz recreates famous photos with Gull Wings and Golden Gate Bridge

Noah Joseph — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 09:31:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

Gullwings at the Golden Gate - Click above for high-res image

They don't build 'em like they used to. The unofficial slogan of classic car owner's clubs around the world may just as well apply to Fort Point, the U.S. military installation at the foot of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Fifty years ago, the Gull Wing Group - a club for owners of Mercedes-Benz's iconic 300 SL - gathered at the fortress for a group photo. And fifty years later they've come back for a reunion.

With a little help from Mercedes-Benz USA, the Gull Wing Group assembled nearly 100 Gullwings and 300 SL Roadsters at the site where the original photo was taken. And to mark the occasion, MBUSA is donating 125 scholarships for local kids to participate in the San Francisco Recreation and Parks department's summer camp programs. It's as nice a way to mark a milestone as we've seen. Read more about it in the press release after the jump and scope out the reunion photo in full resolution by clicking above.

Continue reading Mercedes-Benz recreates famous photos with Gull Wings and Golden Gate Bridge

Mercedes-Benz recreates famous photos with Gull Wings and Golden Gate Bridge originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Mercedes SLS AMG and historic 300 SL revisit Mexico's La Carrera Panamericana

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:57:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG recreating the Carrera Panamericana - Click above to watch the video after the break

Are you as jealous as the rest of Team Autoblog that our very own Chris Paukert, better known as "El Presidente" while traveling abroad, got to snake through Mexico and Central America, recreating the famed Carrera Panamericana while piloting the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG? Yeah, thought so. But all is not lost. Please join us in reliving the journey by watching it all unfold in glorious high resolution video, along with the three accompanying photo sets below.

Epic doesn't begin to describe this trip - the cars, the country and everything in between assures us of that. Not only is it plainly obvious that a good time was had by all, it also offered up ample time to consider just how amazing the original Mercedes-Benz 300 SL of the early 1950s was. And, likewise, how impressive the latest Gullwing and its 563-horsepower naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8.

All that's left to do now is click past the break to watch the two videos. Trust us, they are most definitely worth your time.

Gallery: White 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in Mexico

Gallery: Red 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in Mexico

Gallery: Alubeam 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in Mexico

Continue reading Video: Mercedes SLS AMG and historic 300 SL revisit Mexico's La Carrera Panamericana

Video: Mercedes SLS AMG and historic 300 SL revisit Mexico's La Carrera Panamericana originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumored Mercedes-Benz "Baby SLS" to be called SSK AMG, get its gullwings clipped?

Jonny Lieberman — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:27:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Europe, Mercedes-Benz, Rumormill

2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG - Click above for high-res image gallery

Out here in the eastern part of Los Angeles, there exists an infamous Mercedes-Benz 190SL. Why infamous? Because its rotting corpse is chained to a rock in a semi-sketchy part of town. No really. It's been there for at least a decade, and if you try and take pictures of it (guilty!) a large angry woman comes hauling out of her front door screaming and cursing at you. This might be a little too James Ellroy-ish to some of you (as if there is such a thing!), but we mention the mostly dead 190SL because in the owners mind, it's every bit as awesome a full bore, hardcore 300SL. Even though it's clearly not. For one thing, the 190SL lacks gullwings.

Speaking of gullwings, who here doesn't love the new SLS AMG? On second thought, keep it to yourself if you're a hater. But if the new AMG-built SLS has one flaw, it's the price. €177,310 to be exact, which would be $265,500 is U.S. dollars. Only the Euro price has little to nothing to do with the U.S. price. Still, even if it's only around $200,000 in the States, that's still a lot of scratch. Well, looks like the folks at Daimler might possibly have a solution.

Australia's Drive is reporting that the previously rumored baby SLS will likely be called SSK AMG, and it is said to be coming in 2014. Should it see the light of day, Drive says that the SSK AMG will roll on a shortened version of the SLS's chassis. It will come as both a coupe and a convertible, but will lose the SLS' trick gullwing doors. Power should come from some sort of forced-induction V8 that should be good for about 500 horsepower. The engine will not be - and will be smaller than - the 6.2-liter, 563-horsepower slugger found in the SLS. Figure the little SSK car should cost close to half what the larger car does. All the better to do battle with the Porsche 911 - even without the gullwings.

Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Photos by Chris Paukert / Copyright (C)2009 Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Drive.com.au]

Rumored Mercedes-Benz "Baby SLS" to be called SSK AMG, get its gullwings clipped? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Mercedes-Benz Gullwing

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 07:58:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Classics, Supercars, Mercedes-Benz

Thanks to the box-office success story that was Back To The Future, the De Lorean may be the most recognizable instance of the gull-wing door, but the most historically significant and the first model to truly popularize this unique portal was the Mercedes-Benz 300SL. Since then, the German automaker has continued experimenting with the gull-wing design, with the C111 and C112 concepts from the '60s and '70s. Apparently, the time has finally come for a return of the iconic design feature on a production supercar. We've already seen spy shots of what appears to be an odd mash-up of Dodge Viper parts with McLaren supercar bits tacked together, but the latest mule now appears to have the upwards-opening doors that could give the new model its name. Besides the doors, we can definitely see the long hood and short deck styling that echos the design of the current SLR. Rumor has it that the new supercar will wear the AMG badge and be powered by at least 550 horses from an undetermined powerplant hooked to a seven speed automatic transmission. More as we get it.

[Source: Auto Express]

Spy Shots: Mercedes-Benz Gullwing originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Sep 2008 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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