The Rarest Car in Existence to Date (and the Most Expensive)

In this week’s blog post, I decided to change things up once again – just to keep things interesting. The rarest car to exist to date and also the most expensive one, will be reviewed and the brand this car belongs to might actually surprise you. Before revealing what the car and brand actually are, it is important to note the original model will be reviewed in this blog (with production years between 1954-1957 for the Coupe) having only 29 vehicles produced during this time. 

Any guesses yet? Well I won’t keep you waiting. We will be exploring the ins and outs of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (chassis code W 198). This was a two seat sports car that was released in 2 different model types – the gull-winged Coupe (between 1954 and 1957) and the Roadster (between 1957 and 1963). It took inspiration from its origin car – the Mercedes Benz W194 – the company’s 1952 racing car – and was equipped with a mechanical direct injection fuel intake system which helped to increase the power output (significantly) of its 3L overhead camshaft straight six engine. 

Did you know: The 300 SL had capabilities of reaching speeds of up to 263 km/hr (163 mph), making it the fastest production car of its time?

History Behind the Name

Now, Mercedes being a German brand, decided to give credits to its origin country, even when it came to naming the model. The letters “SL” as part of the name, actually have a deeper meaning than simply being 2 extra letters at the end of a sentence. “SL” is an abbreviation for the words “super-leicht” – a German term meaning “light-weight” which was a reference to the racing-bred car’s lightweight construction. It was introduced to the market thanks to a suggestion from Max Hoffman – Mercedes-Benz United States importer at the time – who saw the potential of the car as well as the demand for a performance based car in the American market. 

What Makes It So Rare and Expensive?

The iconic gull-winged doors and lightweight construction helped to make this vehicle one to remember through the years of history and made it a highly influential one at that. But this is not the only reason for the rarity of this vehicle. As mentioned before, there were only 29 cars for the original SL model that were made, and only 2 vehicles produced for the Uhlenhaut Coupés 300 SL in 1955. That’s right, this car just keeps getting more and more rare by the minute. 

What Does One Actually Cost?

When this car was first introduced the cost of it was actually pretty surprising. We have all come to know and expect to see a hefty price tag for a Mercedes Benz today, but back then, they were going for a whole lot cheaper (compared to pricing in today’s market). In Germany the cost of the SL 300 Coupe was DM 29,000 (or $6,820 USD). The cost for the Roadster was a little bit more – DM 32,500 in Germany (or $10,950 USD) – 10% more expensive than the Coupe in Europe and over 70% more in the US.  

300 SLS (Super Light Special) – Special Edition

A special edition model was also released, created specifically for the Mercedes-Benz US racing team to compete on the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) national circuit in 1957. Previously in 1955 and 1956, the 300 SL Coupe dominated the D Production class earning titles in both years. This caused the national circuit to modify their entry requirements, by changing the rules to make the class more competitive. They enlarged the maximum engine size to now be from between 3L to 3.5L. 

But Mercedes didn’t see this as an issue and simply created two Roadsters to enter on the D Modified class SCCA circuit rather than drastically modifying the engine size of its existing cars. The new releases featured the following:

• A solid cover over the passenger seat 
• A low profile racing screen that was meant to replace a full width and height windscreen 
• A drivers seat roll bar 
• A custom cowl with engine air intake 
• No front and rear bumpers 

These and other modifications helped to reduce the vehicles overall weight, going from 3,130 lbs (1,420 KG) to 2,290 lbs (1,040 KG). The engine output was also increased by 20 horsepower (15 kW) to now be 235 horsepower (175 kW).

Interior

The checkered patterned seat fabrics (coming standard in these cars) came in 3 different color combinations: gray and green, gray and blue, and cream and red. Customers were known at the time to opt for the leather upholstery (optional) which later became standard in the Roadster version. The only real problem the coupe model had was the doors – simply because of how they were designed. Opening upward and out instead of what we know as the traditional way of outwards, gave the coupe an unusually high sill, making entering and exiting an issue. 

Nowadays, we see door types like these a little more (still as rare a sight as it may be), and so parking spaces and other outdoor elements have now been designed to accommodate this. But back when this car was introduced this was not fully thought out, people simply made due back then – grateful just to be able to say they owned a car. 

Now the designers of this car recognized entry and exiting would be a problem, so the steering wheel was designed to help with this. It pivoted on a hub 90 degrees away from the dashboard which helped a lot. 

In the Coupe, storage space is behind the seats where you can put luggage if need be. The boot only holds a spare tire and the fuel tank though, so not much more space to use other than there. The Roadster had a little more space, coming available with two custom fitted leather suitcases for the larger boot. 

The windows are another element I have to say makes this car interesting. For the Coupe model, the windows were fixed – no movement, but with the Roadster version, they could move up and down. 

Exterior

The 300 SL was only available standard in one color – Metallic Silver – any other color was considered custom and cost extra. The body of the car was made mainly from sheet steel with the other components (bonnet, boot lid, dashboard, sill, and door skins) being made from aluminium. 

The overall design was thought out very carefully and constructed with a purpose – make the vehicle as streamlined as possible. The short side of the tubular frame (the width) along the cockpit allowed the cabin roofline to be inserted and visible on both sides which helped to reduce the front area. The overall structure was actually quite high between the wheels forcing the designers to go with the gull winged doors instead of the standard and traditional ones we are all used to today. 

This model also had eyebrows! But of course they were functional in the front. Both physically and aerodynamically speaking, they helped to deflect road water from the windscreen and created visual symmetry in the rear.  

Final Thoughts

The 300 SL still remains a hot buy today – that is if you can find one and is celebrated for its performance, design, and technological advancements. Would you ever want one if you could get your hands on it? Let us know in the comments or over on our socials! 

Since you made it this far, why not check out our previous blog post about the Mercedes Benz EQS Sedan linked here