“Dear editors – The new Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (Super Light) sports car will complete test drives in public for the first time during this week. In light of this occasion, please find enclosed the car’s technical data and a photo.” This was how the company announced the debut of 300 SL (model series W 194) in a press release on 10 March 1952. Two days later, the car was shown to selected journalists on the Stuttgart-Heilbronn motorway, now the A 81.
A surviving photo shows a late-winter scene with the sports car that was to become famous. Next to it is a Mercedes-Benz 300 S (W 188) – a sporty, luxurious touring car that provided some of the technology for the new sports car.
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