Open-top touring: AMG co-founder Hans Werner Aufrecht had dreamed of owning a 300 SL since he was a young man. Image: Igor Panitz and Alexander Babic.

I’ll confess to something upfront: my admiration of the SL series began with the Carrera Panamericana in 1952, which the SL dominated a few months after its first test drives in spring of that same year. And my fascination has its origins in this original SL model: the legendary 300 SL racing sports car (W 194).
 

The irresistible sporting genes and ground-breaking design of the 300 SL set it apart from everything else at the time. Mercedes-Benz made its 1952 reappearance in racing with this streamlined racing car. With a drag coefficient of just 0.25 – phenomenal at the time – and a distinct flap-like entrance instead of a door, what a reappearance it was.
 

This was so much more than a nice car. The W 194, chassis number 002, is the oldest Mercedes-Benz SL (Super Light) still in existence. Its first successful outing was in May 1952, when Karl Kling finished second behind the wheel of a W 194 in the Mille Miglia. In total, only ten units of the original SL were built.

By Jörg Heuer