Arguably it transformed the way other collectors think about cars being “just cars”. Mercedes made two of these coupés for a race that never happened, and after press testing and high speed VIP rides chauffeured by race team boss Rudolf Uhlenhaut (that’s him in pic 7) they lived a sheltered life in the factory museum with rare appearances at historic events: ‘Red’ (nicknamed for its upholstery, as opposed to ‘Blue’) had covered just over 5,000km when it was sold.
As the election approaches, Germany’s carmakers will face the same challenges as its new leaders: a need to innovate, tackle climate change and reassess its trade relationship with China. How this world-renowned motor industry navigates the road ahead could tell a lot about Germany’s future.
Video timeline: 00:00 - Germany faces numerous challenges 00:49 - Can Germany’s cars reveal its future? (or whatever the title is) 02:13 - Is Germany too reliant on trade with China? 03:46 - Germany’s reluctance to digitalise 05:09 - The race to go electric 06:41 - The future of electric cars 08:17 - What’s in store for Germany’s new leader?
Mercedes-Benz is perhaps the biggest name in luxury cars globally, and for countless buyers around the world, it is a car brand to aspire to own. The German automaker has a reputation for superb build quality, excellent engineering, and the bragging rights that its founder Carl Benz invented the first production automobile.
Today, Mercedes-Benz faces a new class of challenges as Tesla has become the aspirational brand for younger consumers. There is a slew of other EV hopefuls vying for the next generation’s aspirational vehicle’s mantle. Automakers have had to sink billions into new technologies and contend with a new crop of competitors in the critical Chinese market and around the world.
Animated and Directed by: João Elias
Have you ever seen a car spreading its wings? Now you do.
This is a full cgi shortfilm featuring the most iconic car of all time, the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, at least in my opinion…
I always loved this car, and when I first started this project, I didn’t just wanna make a car rolling by in the desert, I knew there was a bigger story to make, it had to fly. Following its name legacy, I dived deep in this crazy rollercoaster of assembling car parts, raging though the desert of Bonneville salt flats, in order to build a full chassis so the flying body kit could land. After this, the rest is music. A symphony of a few animated shots of this beauty gloriously riding through the desert, creating clouds of smoke through the landscape while hearing that amazing engine roaring.
This is “Gullwing”.
Music: Evan Macdonald.
Sound design: João Elias
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (chassis code W 198) is a two-seat sports car that was produced by Mercedes-Benz as a gullwinged coupe (1954–1957) and roadster (1957–1963). It was based on the company’s 1952 racer, the W194, with mechanical direct fuel-injection which boosted power almost 50% on its 3-litre overhead camshaft straight-6 engine. Capable of reaching a top speed of up to 263 km/h (163 mph), it was both a sports car racing champion[4] and the fastest production car of its time.
Max Hoffman, Mercedes-Benz’s authorized United States importer at the time, inspired the 300 SL and correctly perceived an American market for such a car. The company introduced the 300 SL in February 1954 at the International Motor Sports Show in New York City instead of in Europe to get it into U.S. buyers’ hands sooner.
SL is the short form for “super-light” in German, Mercedes’ first use of the designation, referring to the car’s racing-bred light tubular frame construction.
The 300 SL was voted the “sports car of the century” in 1999.
Built as a more powerful variant of the 914, only 10 of these pre-production 916s were built. Each of the prototypes wore a fixed steel roof, a double grilled engine lid, seven-inch Fuchs wheels, and flared fenders from the 914-6 GT cars.
Fitted with a 2.4-liter flat-six engine from the 911 S model, the example on offer was originally owned by Louise Piëch, Ferdinand Piëch’s sister. It later went on to be the centerpiece in several prominent collections and is offered today from single ownership since 2008 in concours condition following a comprehensive two-year, bare-metal restoration.
Gooding & Company is proud to present three stunning Bugattis from the Passion of a Lifetime Auction, a bespoke sale at Somerset House in central London on 1 April 2020.
This collection features 16 of the most coveted and valuable examples of European sports and racing automobiles of the 20th century. Visit the link below for event details and the complete list of vehicles presented at this exclusive auction event!
Boomers Daily 