In pictures: the Mercedes-Benz SL story

When Mercedes-Benz unveiled the 300SL on 6 February 1954, at a stroke it made all other sports cars look obsolete.

Fast, exotic and exclusive, this first Mercedes SL created a template with which it would stick right up to the present day. For decades there was nothing that could match the Mercedes SL for its blend of style, performance and quality, and while some very capable rivals have emerged in more recent years and the SL has lost some of its shine. Mercedes will hope that it's all change now, as it has just unveiled an all-new version which makes some radical changes to the recipe: it sees the arrival of four seats, four wheel drive, and four wheel steering, among many other changes.

As we digest those changes, here's the fascinating story behind one of the world's most famous "yes, I've made it" cars:

The SL dynasty begins

The SL programme started in 1951, when the Board of Management for Daimler-Benz decided now was the right time to return to motor sport. The result was the race-ready 300SL, seen here in prototype form; this is the second car built.

Straight-six power

The 300SL featured Mercedes’ most powerful engine, a 2996cc straight-six, from the 300 saloon. With a modified cylinder head and three Solex carburettors, power was boosted from 115bhp to 170bhp, but that still wasn’t as much as some rivals. The key was to make the car as light as possible…

The world's first gull wing

Chief engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut came up with a car that featured a rigid, lightweight tubular frame over which was draped an aluminium skin. Regulations meant doors had to be fitted, but the high sills posed a problem – the solution was to create the world’s first gull-winged car.

Competition success

It didn’t take long for the 300SL to start notching up race wins, its high-tech construction and engineering leaving rivals trailing in its wake. A second place across the line in the 1952 Mille Miglia was followed up by first and second places in the Carrera Panamericana in the same year, along with 1-2-3 wins at Bern and the Nurburgring, the latter shown here.

From race to road

Having won such a huge number of races, Mercedes retired the 300SL to focus on building a Formula 1 car for the 1954 season; this is one of the racers at the 1953 Frankfurt motor show. But US Mercedes importer Max Hoffman asked for a road-going 300SL that he could sell. When Mercedes refused his request, he ordered 1000 of them up front…

The first road-ready SL

Having started the project in mid-1953, Mercedes had a production-ready 300SL for the 1954 International Motor Sports Show which opened in New York on 6 February (shown here). That’s where the iconic gull-winged wonder made its debut, now sporting largely steel bodywork instead of the original aluminium. An all-alloy body would be available optionally, but just 29 such cars were made.

The world's fastest car

Powering the 300SL was the same 3.0-litre straight-six as that found in the racers, but the Solex carburettors were replaced by Bosch fuel injection to give 215bhp. That was enough to give a 155mph top speed – making the 300SL the fastest production car in the world.

A more affordable SL appears

While the 300SL came in gullwing coupé form only, Mercedes introduced the much cheaper 190SL roadster in 1955, with a 1.9-litre carburetted engine. It was hardly what you could call the poor man’s sportscar, but at half the cost of a 300SL it was a little bit more attainable.

Out with the gull-wing

Nowadays, most car makers offer coupés and convertibles alongside each other. Back then Mercedes did things differently, with the 300SL roadster superseding the gullwing coupé in 1957. Gone were those iconic doors, but to compensate was a new rear suspension design which made the open car far less of a handful to drive than its coupé forebear. From 1961 there were disc brakes all round.

Welcome to the Pagoda

By 1963 the 300SL was getting on, so it was time to introduce an all-new model to take over the Sports Licht (SL) mantle; the 230SL featured a 150bhp 2.3-litre straight-six. This car, codenamed W113 by Mercedes, picked up an altogether more enigmatic tag by enthusiasts: Pagoda, because of the elegant slim-pillared hard top that was supplied as standard with every car.

What might have been

This picture shows an early prototype which looks even more delicate than the production car. The badge on the boot says 220SL; at this stage a slightly smaller engine was proposed for the first production cars.

SL production

The SL was made at Mercedes' Sindelfingen factory and much of the construction was done by hand, partly because mechanisation was in its infancy and also because the Pagoda had to be made to exacting standards.

Crash, bang, wallop

Mercedes has long led the field when it comes to safety, with crash testing a key part of every model's development since before the Second World War. Here the Pagoda shows just how tough it is, having been slammed into a wall head-on.

A great estate

In 1966 the Italian design house Frua unveiled this one-off SL-based shooting brake called the 230 SLX. The car was sold into private hands and since 1966 has had a succession of owners but the car survives.

Motor sport success

The SL might seem like an unlikely candidate for rallying but the strength of its construction meant it was pretty well suited to this most punishing of racing series. Here a 230SL is pictured taking part in the 1963 Liege-Sofia-Liege Rally.

Pininfarina's proposal

While Paul Bracq’s Pagoda design is now seen as a landmark in car styling, at the time it wasn’t universally liked. Pininfarina proposed this fixed-roof redesign in 1963, the lines created by Tom Tjaarda. But Mercedes decided to stick with its own design…

The 250SL replaces the 230SL

An update for the Pagoda in 1967 brought a bigger, 2496cc seven-bearing engine. Other than that it was business as usual, but this is by far the rarest of the Pagodas as the 250SL was produced for just 11 months before the definitive edition was released in 1967…

The final Pagoda

That final version of the Pagoda was the 280SL, the most desirable and prolific of the W113s. It was a huge hit in the US, as it was unique in the segment thanks to the availability of power steering and an automatic transmission. With its 170bhp 2778cc straight-six it was also the fastest of the breed and is now the most collectible.

The 6.3-litre V8 Pagoda

Here’s one they didn’t make, sadly; a Pagoda with the 6.3-litre V8 more usually seen in the 600 limousine. It’s likely the car would have proved too much of a handful to go on general sale, although Mercedes would fit this powerplant to its first truly hot saloon, the 300 SEL 6.3, in 1968.

The king is dead…

For 1971 there was an all-new SL, the R107, launched at the Paris motor show. The longest-lived of all the Mercedes SLs, this timeless design would survive all the way through to 1989. Initially there was V8 power only – until now, all SLs had featured a straight-six in the nose.

Thoroughly engineered

In typical Mercedes fashion the R107 was superbly built and engineered although it was still more of a grand tourer than an outright sports car. Much heavier than its predecessor, the R107 still had plenty of go though as it could crack 130mph.

Keeping it clean

Ever wondered why all Mercedes used to have ribbed rear light lenses? It's because they stay cleaner for much longer, but this was an early proposal for the R107 with air ducting proposed to keep the lenses clean instead. But the ducting spoiled the SL's lines and thankfully the idea was junked.

V8 power for all

At launch the sole model was the 350SL, featuring a 4.5-litre V8 for US buyers, but a 3.5-litre V8 everywhere else. Within two years European buyers could also have the bigger engine, if they opted for the 450SL.

The everyday sports car

Just like its predecessor, the R107 was designed for year-round use. To that end a hard top came as standard, for winter driving, while the soft top could be raised and stowed quickly in showery weather; all R107 soft tops were manually operated rather than electric.

The R107 targa

In 1974 Mercedes toyed with the idea of building a targa-topped R107. The SL's short wheelbase  and the need to provide a decent boot with reasonable cabin space meant a very upright back window. Luckily Mercedes saw the light and binned the idea.

Stretching the point

While the R107 was generally a two-seater – although it could be specified with a sideways-facing rear seat – there was also a stretched 2+2 edition. Called the SLC and available solely in hardtop form, the SLC was the precursor to the elegant coupes which would come later, such as the SEC and CL. The SLC proved popular in the US but it didn't sell very well in the UK.

Safety first

Mercedes was as thorough with its R107 crash testing as it was with all of its cars. This is one of the fixed-head SLC editions after it's been put through a head-on impact test.

The six-pot SL returns

Even Mercedes was affected by the oil crisis in the early 1970s, which is why from 1973 there was the six-cylinder 280SL economy special. But for those unaffected by the fuel cost woes, there were still V8-powered SLs available.

The SL gets a refresh

For 1980 there was a sharper, cleaner design and a new all-alloy V8 as previously seen in the SLC. It was at this point that the 350SL and 450SL morphed into the 380SL and 500SL respectively.

A more individual SL

As the 1970s morphed into the 1980s, the SL became a favourite of tuners around the globe, keen to satisfy demand from the US and Middle East. Most notable was AMG (pictured here), which would later be absorbed into the Daimler-Benz empire.

Customised SLs galore

Other companies that offered packages to personalise the SL included Arden, Koenig, Brabus, Carlsson and Lorinser; the latter is shown here in 500SL form with the bodykit that was so fashionable at the time.

The SL gets a facelift

In 1986 there would be another facelift, with a new front air dam. At the same time the 380SL became the 420SL, the 300SL replaced the 280SL and the R107 was also fitted with its biggest engine ever – the 5.6-litre V8 in the US-only 560SL, shown here.

A new era begins

After an enormous 18 years, time was finally called on the R107 when it was replaced by the R129. Seemingly from another era (which indeed it was) the R129 was much more modern in every respect with an electric rag top, modern heating and ventilation systems plus a greater array of electronic systems.

Strong and safe

The R129 was also by far the safest SL yet. Among its armoury there were magnesium seats with integral safety belts and a pop-up roll bar that deployed automatically in the event of the car turning over. When it arrived Mercedes confidently stated that the R129 was the safest open-topped car in the world.

An SL for everyone. Sort of

With the R129 the SL range was wider than ever, from the six-cylinder 300SL to the V12-powered 600SL, with the 500SL V8 in between. Whatever you bought it would be safer, more beautifully built and more prestigious than any other two-seater sports car on the market.

Things heat up

Mercedes took a controlling stake in AMG in 1990, opening the floodgates for a raft of ultra-hot SLs. The first was the SL60 AMG, with a 376bhp 6.0-litre V8. The rarest of all was the SL73 AMG, of 1999 (pictured here). Powered by the same 7.3-litre V12 that would later see service in the Pagani Zonda, this 525bhp monster was the most powerful production SL ever – just 85 were built.

The SL gets radical

In 1998 Mercedes unveiled this research vehicle which swapped its steering wheel for a pair of grips (or side-sticks as MB called them), which could steer, brake, accelerate and indicate. All of these features were controlled by electronics rather than mechanical linkages.

The SL goes under the knife

A hefty facelift in 1998 brought a raft of big changes for the SL, including updated styling, a revised dash and new engines. The previous straight-sixes were replaced by V6s and the quad-cam went out to be superseded by a new twin-cam unit.

The fifth-generation SL arrives

With the arrival of the R230 in 2001, Mercedes would open a new chapter in the SL story. For the first time there was a coupe-cabrio configuration, while the electronic safety and control systems were more sophisticated than ever.

A wider choice than ever

The R230 was produced between 2001 and 2011, with buyers able to choose between an array of six, eight and 12-cylinder engines. Most outrageous of the lot was the SL65 AMG Black Series of 2008, with its fixed roof. With 661bhp and 740lb ft of torque, it could do 0-62mph in just 3.8 seconds and was electronically restricted to 198mph.

A FAB design?

If you wanted an SL that really stood out from the crowd – because let’s face it, Mercedes isn’t good at lairy – there was a host of companies happy to increase power and presence. Just not always in the best possible taste; this is the SL Total from FAB Design.

Even less Fab?

At the risk of labouring the point, here's another beauty from FAB Design, complete with rubber band tyres, reworked doors and a paint job that's almost quite nice. But not quite.

Mid-life updates

A facelift in 2008 dispensed with the twin circular headlights, with a more aggressive nose being adopted. The line-up was as before, although it was only in this redesigned form that the SL65 Black Series was offered, as already shown.

Play us a tune

Once again there were plenty of tuners happy to pep up the facelifted SL’s looks, in this case Lorinser. But buyers could also go to Brabus, FAB Design, Kleeman, Renntech and a whole raft of others.

Six appeal

An all-new sixth-generation SL was released in 2012, with an all-aluminium bodyshell for greater efficiency. By now the SL had become invisible even though it was still fast, luxurious, refined and safe, and there still weren't really any rivals that could match the Merc's blend of qualities.

A compact model range

At first there were just two models available: the SL350 with a 306bhp 3.5-litre V6 and the SL500 with a 435bhp twin-turbo 4.7-litre V8. The former gave way to the SL400 in 2014, which featured a 333bhp twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6.

The range expands

It didn't take long for Mercedes to sex things up a bit with two new AMG editions: the SL63 and the SL65 (shown here). Whereas the former was fitted with a 537bhp twin-turbo 5.5-litre V8, the latter was fitted with a twin-turbo 6.0-litre V12 that developed a mammoth 630bhp.

Or you could have had…

Mercedes released a raft of sketches that were overlooked in favour of the chosen design. This one looks like a poor Chinese copy of the time…

…or what about…?

At first glance this alternative proposal looks pretty sleek but those droopy wings and the sagging bum would have looked awful in three dimensions. And the less said about that weird glasshouse the better.

An 800bhp SL

Once again, there’s a multitude of companies happy to take some hefty piles of cash from you, in exchange for more power and less discreet styling. Best known is Brabus, which offers up to 800bhp from its SL65-based B50 Roadster.

Refreshing stuff

For 2015 Mercedes unveiled an updated SL in a bid to keep the car looking fresh. As well as a redesigned nose incorporating LED headlights there was a standard nine-speed automatic gearbox, plus extra power for the SL400 (now 367bhp) and SL500 (now 455bhp).

The new SL

The new SL