By all accounts a very beautiful car but from a driving perspective it apparently doesn't live up to it. E-Type dusts it. Even Sean Connery didn't think it were a very nice car to drive.
"Only post-80s" hasn't been a hard-and-fast rule with Doug: any car of true significance (I know, slippery slope on *that* one) makes the cut with him, although I'm betting he wouldn't go much farther back in time than this Merc.
I love the way Doug DeMuro can "borrow" a million dollar Mercedes from a preservation society like a normal person borrows books from the library. When I borrow cars from the museum, I end up in court.
Dude is a respected member of the car community. What he does is explain museum quality pieces in a fun way. He loves cars and he got to the top of the car food chain. He should go on Jay Leno’s Garage. Also there has been cars he wasn’t allowed to drive.
There were 5 300SL models parked outside. As can be seen @ 27:17. So i'd imagine they loan them out more regularly, for why else would you have 5 of the same model...
@@donallmccrudden4812 It reminds me of James May's review of the Ferrari 250GT. He said he honestly couldn't enjoy driving the car because he was so scared the entire time. He has since said in interviews that he has barely any memory of driving it.
My first ride in a 300SL was when I was a kid in the early 60’s. My dad was in the passenger seat, his friend was the driver and I was curled up on the rear luggage shelf behind the seats. The engine sounded good but lacked power down low, but it cornered incredibly well. For safety reasons, we never exceeded 100 MPH.
@@titicaca. The fact that I see these comment chains on every big TH-cam channel tells me that it must work on some people. If anyone's dumb enough to fall for it they deserve to lose their money.
I don’t think we will ever see again such class and style that existed with sports cars from the 50s and 60s. From this beauty to Vettes, Jags, Aston Martins and Lambos. What a time to be alive for a sports car enthusiast!
I have an S Class and I thought the same thing about the center console lid that opens in both directions. I marveled at the German thinking that led to them over engineering a console lid.
@@automation7295 because, while anyone can, the Germans have a well documented history of and a tendency to. Let me know when the Irish do the same and I will be sure to include them.
@@TobinTwinsHockey While that's true German automakers have tendency of over-engineering, every automakers from every country can over-engineer something. American automakers can over engineer something as well, but yes it's still usually European automakers, especially German.
The reason it has Stirling Moss' name on it is because he used to own it. He sold it through Bonhams auction house in 2015 and you'll note there's a 2015 UK tax disc on the windscreen. Those tags for the Mille Miglia were Moss' when he won the race shortly after signing for Mercedes in 1955. Read up on him, he was a fantastic racing driver and his ownership would elevate the value of this car even more
The level of trust Doug has these days: "This is the James Webb Telescope, easily one of the greatest achievements of mankind and today, I'm going to review it."
As an Australian seeing those two open holes in the back of the cabin seems absolutely insane to me. I wonder if there’s any Gullwings down here that has mesh on that. It’d give me so much more piece of mind haha
@@CryptocurrencyInsider I'm quite sure I don't want to see any spiders in my car (even those not deadly ones). As a villager I could say it's just the matter of several minutes to have your car occupied by various insects after you park it: bugs, spiders, flies, wasps and so on.
Fun fact: if you’re driving around with the front windows removed, it’s advised that you “keep it under 100”. Otherwise, the rubber-set rear windows can potentially blow out.
@@repapeti98 I know why he doesn't, but to be fair the videos of classic cars he did were not really the kind of classics people wanna see. People wanna see like vintage muscle cars, jaguar e types, etc. Not weird Lambos people have barely heard of.
Doug, it's so awesome to see how far you've been able to come. To think you'd be able to roll around in a 300SL Gullwing even a couple years ago seemed so distant, yet here you are. Congratulations.
I wish Doug would review old cars like this. They're just made in such a different and interesting way. Almost haphazardly by modern standards, but that what makes them cool. My dad has '57 Bel Air and it's just fun to look at the engineering and design of it.
He would almost need to invent a new Doug Score scale just for older vehicles to prevent starting a flame war, since most would get a 1 in acceleration, even though there is a huge difference between 0-60mph of 7.1 sec and 10 sec....not to mention handling, features, quality, & value scores as well.
I guess he will eventually review older cars. I don't know how many cars are left from the time span between the early 80 and modern cars that he hasn't reviewed, but wants to review. Watching his channel I think not much, because it's mostly modern cars nowadays. Somewhere he said that newer cars don't bring as much joy as older cars and we all feel that. For the sake of content he has to expand further in to the past. At least I think so.
@@TituzzzD I was thinking the same. Aside from new car releases, he's gotta be getting close to being out of cars fitting his criteria that would actually be interesting for us.
I've seen a handful of 300SLs over the years, but there is SO MUCH in your review that I'd never realized. I know you typically don't do older cars, but I very much enjoyed this and appreciate your willingness to release a video on it. I learned a great deal that will stay with me when I go to my next Concourse or Auction. THANKS!
My parents had a 190 SL convertible, a similar-looking, lower-cost contemporary car. I've never been in a 300 SL but the interior looks very similar to the 190 SL that I knew growing up, it was my mom's crown jewel. I never got to drive it unfortunately because my parents had to get rid of it before I could drive, due to money issues and the cost of maintaining it. But I loved that car and greatly enjoyed riding in it every time we took it out. It doesn't have rear seating but there's a bit of space behind the front seats and I could just sit there for the ride (facing sideways). My parents' everyday car actually wouldn't start on the day my mom had to go to the hospital to give birth to me so they had to take the 190 SL instead. It's interesting and a bit mysterious to me why the 300 SL Roadster has the same turn signal as the 190 SL, but the Gullwing has a different one.
I think it deserved a solid 10 on value. They are dead reliable, highly supported by MB and there are a host of technicians who know how to maintain them. In ten years I think these will be in the 4-8 million dollar range, becoming true unobtainium
@@yungboicontigo9278 But this car is actually making you money (unless you crash it). You could take out a loan to buy one and it would pay for itself a few years later, even including service, insurance and gas. So it's TECHNICALLY free.
@@yungboicontigo9278 Just shut up, you clown! The 300 SL is like a super expensive art piece in its own league. Those customers, who have certainly more than 1 Million Dollars on the bank to buy a 300 SL, will make a very good deal with it EVERY TIME. The prices for certain 300 SLs today can go up to 2.5 million Dollars. In just a few years, this car will be worth more than 5 million dollars. I can't understand this de Muro clown at all. In his "logic" only very cheap cars have a high "value"? This is so retarded. There's no better value than buying a 300 SL for 1.5 million Dollars and selling it one year later for more than 2 millions.
There are very few automobiles that are rolling sculptures - this is one of them. Almost 70 years old and still turns heads! Definitely worthy of a 10 for Styling and Cool factor.
I said up there ^^ that I've never seen one on the road. If I did I'd turn around and follow it. I hate people who take pics of other people's cars but this? Yeah, I'd ask if I could take a pic of it.
You can tell this is a dream come true for Doug. The authentic amazement really shines through especially as he's driving and talking about the vehicle's mannerisms and some history. Glad to see you got to drive an automotive icon that you looked up to for years. Great work Doug!
I met a guy once who used to be a Mercedes mechanic in the 50s, and got to repair 300SLs occasionally. I asked him what it was like to repair a 300SL, and his response was, “Very careful.” That guy later became a Citroen mechanic in the U.S., and everyone knew him as the guy to take any quirky, weird foreign cars to for repair. Apparently he also had a BMW Isetta which he used to ferry parts around. I wish I had more time to talk to him. He had some interesting stories.
I love the fact that although he knew about the folding steering wheel, he chose to get in awkwardly for all of us, and then folded the steering wheel.
One of the most interesting changes going from Gullwing to Roadster is that the angle of the gears in the gearbox was increased. At lower gear angles, less transmission power loss occurs but a distinct whine is clearly audible - also in the video! Not having the whine is one of the things that make the Roadster relatively most easiest to live with. This underpins most to me that the Gullwing was one of the truest race cars for the road ever. Look up a quick video on straight cut gears if you want to hear a more clear example.
A friend of the family owned one for years and I got to drive it when I was around 18. He flipped me the keys and said “go ahead, take it for a spin.” I gladly accepted the offer, but was terrified driving it! If I made it over 40 mph, I’d be shocked. Kept thinking what would happen if I crashed it. What a great experience, though. Will never forget it.
Sweet video...its so nice to understand that there was an engineer in the early 50ties thinking how to solve the problem with getting propper doors to that tube-based construction...and he figures out the gull wing doors...that are world famous today but nobody remember the name of the engineer having the idea for it. Everything in this car is so well designed. You can see the thinking of the enigineers. 300 SL was a race car that made limitation in confort easy to understand
The 300 Sl and the Jaguar E-type are two of the most beautiful cars ever made. (For that time period of the 50’s-60’s for sure) … let’s even throw a 250 GT Lusso for the hell of it 😂 Excellent video Douglas!
The Jaguar E-type was contemporary to my high school years. I actually saw them racing in class at Laguna Seca in 1963-64. The body style is still stunning but the narrow track, with the wheels inset way into the wheel wheels, and the stock stance look terribly dated to me now. The SL300 holds up much better in that respect.
I am speechless. What a treat to be able to experience this icon in such detail. Thank you, Doug. You make certain people happier than you'll ever know.
Yes agreed. Never thought I'd see such an iconic car and to see how quirky it is just to get in. And I gotta see what these tubes were made out of, the diagram shown here looked like pvc pipes 🤣
DOUG YOU HAVE TO BREAK THE 80S AND UP RULE OCCASIONALLY. THISSSSS is the review the car needed. Every single car featured in the background is just perfect. This era or mercedes desing is timeless
In Salina Kansas in 1958 my mother and father were looking to buy a used car and it came down to two choices: a 57 vette, or a gull wing mercedes.... They chose the vette, which I can understand... they're both such groovy cars..... they forked over the $2800 for the Corvette and still have it today...with only 50k miles...
This car wasn't just "fuel injected"... It had gasoline direct injection, a whole 60 year before it was a thing in modern cars! The Muira was gorgeous but the 300SL is in a whole 'nother league above that, and for sure is the world's first supercar.
*"This car wasn't just "fuel injected"... It had gasoline direct injection, a whole 60 year before it was a thing in modern cars!"* 300SL was considered a "modern car" back in 1950's. I love how people forget that older cars were used to be modern back then. It's like art deco was considered modern back in 1930's, now considered ""old" and "outdated".
Exactly, they drew from very complex but ehm wartime proven technologies from the aero engines Daimler Benz made. The inverted V aero engines are extremely rare, but at least these engines will live on.
As someone who works at valvoline... fuck GDI engines man. They build up SO much carbon inside the engine in comparison to other engines. Almost every car with a GDI engine (mostly Kia and Hyundai) that come in have no oil on the dipstick and very sludgey oil, unless the owner is very timely with their oil changes and fuel system cleanings. I guess if you owned a 300SL you'd be timely with those things though lol
Great video and a truly iconic car. Just to add the 'pop out' door glass can be removed for ventilation but the main reason for the design is for the occupants to able to get out should the car be in a rollover. The gull wings obviously won't open if overturned so at least you can crawl out through the window aperture.
I had to laugh at how relieved Doug looked when he was pulling it back into the Mercedes shop and could stop worrying about people crashing into him. Awesome video Doug!
This is awesome that Doug got to review one and drive it. Also, huge props to Mercedes for letting them out on the road and supporting them for all these years!
This incredibly classy singer from a big band act called "The Admirals" would play a big east coast circuit including a restaurant/nightclub In northern VA I worked at. She would always pull up in a gorgeous, mostly original condition (mid to late 80's at the time) 300SL. First time she pulled out into the back of the place I was already drooling over the car because I knew exactly what it was, then the door swings up and out steps the singer, legs first, a scene straight out of a 50's detective "Film Noir". After gathering my courage (I was maybe 20 at the time) I started asking questions about the car, and it became apparent that she was a real "Car Girl", and a genuinely nice person. I became good friends with her and her bandmates over the years, and I always made sure I was on shift to see her pull up and step out of that car:) She knew by tacit agreement that nothing was going to happen to her car on our watch...
I would imagine that the pop-out windows are there mostly as a safety feature. If this car ever ends up on its roof they are the only way to get the occupants out. Considering those two openings in the back of the roof, the leather interior should have been standard, not for extra luxury, but for weather resistance. Can you imagine what happens when rain water inevitably gets in and those plaid seats turn into giant sponges ? Finally an anecdote: when I was taking driving lessons we were shown a film explaining how carburetors work followed by a brief allusion to fuel injection featuring a 300SL. After the film the instructor asked us a trick question: do fuel injected cars need air ? I then got into an argument with him because this older gentleman was convinced that cars with fuel injection did not need air to operate...
I always hate those arguments where someone is technically right in a small way, but completely ignores the actual thing they’re arguing just so they can be right. Compared to a carburetor fuel injection doesn’t need airflow for it to get fuel into the engine. Which I assume is the point they were trying to make. But, in reality it would still need airflow for the engine to actually operate. So, it’s a poor question and simply someone trying to feel like they’re smart.
I guess a good explanation would be that fuel injection does not need air to introduce the fuel into the engine but it still draws air in for combustion. That would be something both party's could agree on.
The 356 had 130hp only in the rare Carrera 2000 version, which is almost impossible to find and it's worth millions. The regular Porsche 356 had between 40 and 95hp, depending by the model year and the version.
Always loved this car!! At 16 years old in Springfield NJ, there was a lady, who was a palm reader and she owned a 1956 Gullwing. It had a for sale sign on it and she was asking $9,000.00!!!!! I wanted it so bad, but at 16 years old in 1975, who had an extra 9 grand!!! If was was able to buy it, I probably would have sold it a couple of years later for $12,000 and thought I did great, lol!!!
Great story and it really illustrates how, at the time these cars were nice but not that special. Now with these ludicrous prices, television programmes turning iconic cars into something that they never were, it's given rise to an army of fan boys who worship some models - who do they think drove them - gods ? 😁
Regarding the fender eyebrows, they were available in chrome in some extremely rare examples like the one owned by the late King Hussain of Jordan, which he bought new and currently on exhibit in The Royal Automobile Museum in Jordan.
Doug: you forgot one important note between the coupe and roadster and that was brakes, the gullwing had 4 drums where as the roadster had discs and later 4 wheel discs in 1961. The braking in the GW was iffy at best
Drove one of these in the 60s more than once "enthusiastically" - gearbox like a truck ! On one test drive, my passenger wanted to stop for a packet of cigarettes, I parked into the kerb, he flung the door up and knocked a cyclist clean off of his bike !😁 I think we would have all fallen over backwards at the value of these things today...
these car back in the 60's were top of the line sports car, no ordinary worker or person could ever afford it. An ordinary worker could barely even afford an E200.
@@pramay5116 to look cool, some people just do lie, everybody who drives them says theyre fantastic, watch, who is it the f1 driver, who owns one drive it around monaco, thats in like 2017, in the 60s these were like the best druving things you could buy, and he 'knocked a cyclist off his bike' they dont fling up, and theyre hardly wider than the car, that is such a lie, honestly its pathetic anyone would believe this, why he felt the need to put such a fantastic car down is beyond me, he probably doesnt have any car
Scary fun fact. When you were T-boned in this vehicle even at low speed your were normally trapped in your vehicle until rescue came. Any hit on the side normally caused the interior door handle to be damaged as the exterior door handle was smashed in. Meaning in a fire you had very little time to figure out how to smash out the windshield to survive as you door wouldn't be able to open.
I love the way he describes the interior and driving experience like any of us will just go down to our local MB dealer and plunk down a cool $1M for one! Incidentally, our local MB dealer in San Antonio has a 300SL on static display in the showroom…surrounded by ropes. Thanks Doug, this video is the closest I will ever get to this timeless classic!
@@ironymatt Right? Heck, I remember even in the early eighties we thought 60hp/liter in a street car was doing pretty damn good. Of course now I'm driving 130hp/liter naturally aspirated, and some forced induction cars can do well above that.
Lets not forget that this was the first ever production car that had direct injection. I took most manufacturers another two to three decades to ditch carburetors and switch to direct injection. That makes it arguably the most influential car ever made if we ignore things like the Model T and the Daimler Motorwagen.
I live in a medium-sized Canadian city which happens to have a restoration shop world-renowned for its work on 300SLs. They typically take 18 months to restore each car, and all the panels are made on-site the old school way, with hammers, heels and dollies. I was lucky to tour the shop once, and counted 12 SLs in various stages of restoration! It's not uncommon to see these incredibly rare cars around town getting their post-resto road-tests, or occasionally being enjoyed by their owners before driving them back to... wherever. They always turn heads. Beautiful.
See, when you do classic cars that everyone knows & loves you WILL get great views on it. Most of the previous classics you did were obscure, but if you’re doing things like the Miura, E-Type, Bel-Air, Classic Corvettes or any of the iconic classic muscle cars of the 60s & 70s you WILL get great feedback & views.
240hp out of a 3L inline 6 in the 1950's is incredibly impressive. Given that the BMW M54B30 (a 90s and 00s bmw N/A Inline 6) produces 230HP and that has variable valve timing. Impressive if we don't start talking about fuel consumption.
Something I randomly noticed is Doug never wears sunglasses during his driving portion during the review. He wants to be personable with his audience and I think it’s noble.
I absolutely love the “THIS” if you ever stop I won’t be able to continue watching. I love your videos man!!!! By far the very best review channel ever.
It’s a shame Doug won’t review classic cars. Yes I’ve seen his video on why he won’t. I’m 21 and there’s plenty of other young people who would like to see them.
such a pleasure going on a tour of perhaps my favorite car of all time, no less now than when i was a little kid... thanks so much for breaking your only-modern-cars rule for this one
Doug -- I admire the honesty in your videos... You don't play the hype-game. You says it likes you sees its -- and that is a rarity in the YouTubiverse. 😍
Doug could you give me than one camera angle when you drive these iconic cars like you used to do please? Would be nice to see the hood from the inside, tachometer etc. Would add to the experience.
At the time of its debut, the SL did stun the automobile world. The design is unique and beautiful from most angles and manages to look fantastic 70 years after its inception. Very few designs have ever done so. Its successors never seemed to have captured the mystique of the original and by the late 2000s SLs were criticized for being overweight cruisers for rich retirees. As a GT it did lack in storage space leaving owners to struggle with a lack of a usable trunk. Ironically, modern manufacturing techniques give even economy cars better build quality (and packaging) than most anything made in the 50s, but the craftsmanship of the 300SL was exemplary for its time. I wish more companies would produce 'flagship' models just for the sake of showing off the best of their skills and design finesse. They always seem to sell out when they do no matter what the price (with rare exceptions). The Toyota Yaris GR, the Porsche 918 and just two examples (and price points) of what could be done to promote a brand and create a buzz.
I guess you have no idea what flagship means? Toyota Yaris GR isn't even their flagship model. Porsche 911 is their flagship model. SL isnt even Mercedes' flagship, that now goes to the S-Class and it's Maybach models.
Isn't this the year the Citroen DS made it's debut? Probably the Porsche 550 Spyder like James Dean's and lets not forget the 265 Chevrolet. 1955 was a hell of a year in the car world! Also about the time Jaguar started offering Girling disc brakes on their cars. Pretty much the first to do so although Citroen may have been around the same time.
23:34 "the engine is fuel injected" To be precise the engine actually has a gasoline direct injection system. At the time this was ridiculously far out.
Yes it's a mechanical direct-injection system very similar to diesel. Unfortunately gasoline continues to be injected briefly after the engine is shut off and, unlike diesel fuel which isn't as much of a solvent, this washes down the cylinder walls which removes the oil from them. If the car isn't allowed to warm up and run for a while at full temperature basically every time it's driven (to allow the extra fuel to burn off or evaporate), it's hard-starting the next time and will eventually develop excessive cylinder wear if it's continually abused. That's basically why mechanical GDI systems weren't offered on standard production cars (mechanical port FI was a little more common and wasn't quite so bad because they squirted the fuel behind the valves so it could evaporate more easily post-shutdown and also they ran at lower pressures so were less expensive than DI).
@@fsfs555 The fuel direct-injection system for the 300 SL engine was was straightly "borrowed" from the famous Daimler DB 601 12 cylinder engine, which was in a lot of German WWII war birds like the Messerschmitt Bf 109, Heinkel He100 and a lot of other German combat planes from that era.
Three kinds of McLarens: Uncommon and cool (F1), Common but still conspicuous (the current line up), the kind Doug just ignores as they drive by while he’s filming a 300Sl (33 min mark).
The second horn button probably goes back to the original Mille Miglia, which was the original 300SLs first race. 1,000 miles over the open roads of Italy at full race speed. Each entry had a driver and a navigator, and the navigator may have been charged with using the horn to get spectators out of the road. The oddball door handles were probably to reduce drag at Le Mans to improve speed on Mulsanne.
33:06 wow! A bloody Mclaren ripping by! Probably the only time that person thought they were in a lame car by comparison lol! All joking aside this video made me smile the entire time. This car is absolutely insane, literally a revolution in motoring, fuel injected, synchronized manual, disk brakes.. the list could go on. This car is absolutely a part of the automotive story, and the history is incredible. I've learned more than I knew about this incredible vehicle. Absolutely great video!
Good job Doug. That was a lot of material to cover in half an hour. Glad you finally mentioned the handling improvement of the roadster (indirectly that is... due to the lower pivot point of the rear swing axle... always an issue with the 300SL).
When I was a kid my dad would talk about Sterling Moss being the best driver of all time. So having his autograph in your car is kind of insanely cool.
TBH I really like the fact that the fuel door is inside the car. It is so special and has more style than all other cars and the body is much cleaner to look at. This would never annoy me.
*"It is so special and has more style than all other cars and the body is much cleaner to look at"* But most people will complain and would still prefer a fuel door outside the car. *"This would never annoy me"* Wouldn't you mind if other male drivers staring at your ass while opening the truck every time when you pull into a gas station?
It's crazy to think that the Germans were able to make something like this in less than 10 years after the WWII, in which their manpower, economy and infrastructure were devastated. Huge respect. 🙌🏼
That's no shit,i can't remember what show this was in but it was a comedy i watched a while back and these 2 guys were contemplating a difficult task and one guy asked the guy next to him "you think we can do that?" and the guy replied "they rebuilt Berlin didn't they? lol
Back when Merc wasn't a brand for people who insist on leasing one to look rich, despite being on the verge of bankruptcy with overwhelming credit card debt.
@@kristians2704 it is their “fault,” because they (as well as other “luxury” nameplates) are the ones who watered down their lineup; and lowered the barrier to entry. Can we really blame them though? Who doesn’t want more sales? Also, more sales means more money; more money means that the awesome cars get to become more awesome… Live and let live :)
Everyone’s talking about how beautiful this car is and I can’t deny it but I always found the simple pointy on one end and smooth curve on the other end of the 928 to be one of the best looks in a car.
Always though the 928 took inspiration from the form of a shark. I remeber as a child far preferring the 924, 944 baby brother look, but I do agree now the 928 is a stunner and certainly grew on me. The design never aged and seems to just get better.
What a beauty. I definitely plan on buying one of these after the lease is up on my Corolla.
😂
As you should
Y r u leasing a Corolla
I think I’ll go with the roadster, more practical 🤔
Lol
Here’s hoping that Doug will break “Only post 80’s cars” rule again and review Aston Martin DB5
Or something like an original 911 or a Muira. Something significant like them
@@Jofuish +1 for the Miura, that's worthy of breaking the rule
By all accounts a very beautiful car but from a driving perspective it apparently doesn't live up to it. E-Type dusts it.
Even Sean Connery didn't think it were a very nice car to drive.
Citroen DS pretty plx
"Only post-80s" hasn't been a hard-and-fast rule with Doug: any car of true significance (I know, slippery slope on *that* one) makes the cut with him, although I'm betting he wouldn't go much farther back in time than this Merc.
this particular 300sl, with the mille miglia medallions and stirling moss' signature, might be the coolest car doug has ever reviewed
Would still be the coolast car Doug has ever reviewed even without those though.
Moss's signature on that car (I would guess) increases its value easily 20%.
Not even close 😂 seriously!
@@aaronlean1350 how much then
For anyone unfamiliar, look up Stirling Moss 1955 Mille Miglia. You'll know why the signature stays on this dash.
I love the way Doug DeMuro can "borrow" a million dollar Mercedes from a preservation society like a normal person borrows books from the library. When I borrow cars from the museum, I end up in court.
@@j7704 what a sensible and insightful reply, not punctuated with insults or conspiracy theories like your usual commenter.
Thumbs up for you, sir.
Hes also insured up to like 5 million dollars incase he wrecks a car hes reviewing
Dude is a respected member of the car community. What he does is explain museum quality pieces in a fun way. He loves cars and he got to the top of the car food chain. He should go on Jay Leno’s Garage. Also there has been cars he wasn’t allowed to drive.
There were 5 300SL models parked outside. As can be seen @ 27:17. So i'd imagine they loan them out more regularly, for why else would you have 5 of the same model...
@@j7704 shut
Honestly Doug reviewing old cars like that is pure joy I wish we would see more
He's done the ultimate Merc the Gullwing, done the 959, but not the Muira yet. C'mon Doug, try the Muira. 34:54
i really wish he would review the jaguar e-type, maybe even compare a series 1 with a series 3 or something like that
@@h7pubg good one, yes the E type, he hasn't done that one yet, that would go well off the Gullwing too.
I thought he didn't review old cars. Only the really special ones?
@@bradford_shaun_murray I'm pretty sure he wants to review the Miura. The only thing is that he has to find one in good condition.
“Frankly if I crash this car, I rather not survive” yes exactly lol that car is beautiful
If I spent that kind of money on a car I wouldn't drive it. Would be to terrified of crashing it.
@@donallmccrudden4812 It reminds me of James May's review of the Ferrari 250GT. He said he honestly couldn't enjoy driving the car because he was so scared the entire time. He has since said in interviews that he has barely any memory of driving it.
@@JCintheBCC was that Chris Evans car?
Laughed out loud when he said that.
30:00
He finally got his hands on one. The absolute legend.
Now we wait for the CLK GTR
@@parks_stallings Now that would be a tough one to find.
It's exposure it's not a matter of luck
I wonder how many times he had to get on his knees to beg Mike Kunz to let him take it out?
My first ride in a 300SL was when I was a kid in the early 60’s. My dad was in the passenger seat, his friend was the driver and I was curled up on the rear luggage shelf behind the seats. The engine sounded good but lacked power down low, but it cornered incredibly well. For safety reasons, we never exceeded 100 MPH.
Definitely one of the most beautiful cars ever.
Crypto is the future 💯
@Steve Rowell i hope no one actually falls for this lol
@@titicaca. the above comments read like the 21st century version of the old Burma Shave signs along the road.
And then came the Series 1 E Type Jag
@@titicaca. The fact that I see these comment chains on every big TH-cam channel tells me that it must work on some people. If anyone's dumb enough to fall for it they deserve to lose their money.
I don’t think we will ever see again such class and style that existed with sports cars from the 50s and 60s. From this beauty to Vettes, Jags, Aston Martins and Lambos. What a time to be alive for a sports car enthusiast!
Pagani
BMW 507 as well!One of the most beautiful cars ever
@@modelotime3608 The Zonda is the best looking Pagani ever.
No we wont thats what makes every decade unique and special in its own way. You dont want to live in a world that never changes
I’d be too afraid to drive something like that. Even the smallest fender bender would scar me.
Gull-wing doors by engineering necessity has to be one of the most German things of all time
This comment is highly underrated and deserves way more likes
I have an S Class and I thought the same thing about the center console lid that opens in both directions. I marveled at the German thinking that led to them over engineering a console lid.
Why do people think that it's only Germans that over engineer stuff? Anyone can over engineer stuff, not only Germans
@@automation7295 because, while anyone can, the Germans have a well documented history of and a tendency to. Let me know when the Irish do the same and I will be sure to include them.
@@TobinTwinsHockey While that's true German automakers have tendency of over-engineering, every automakers from every country can over-engineer something.
American automakers can over engineer something as well, but yes it's still usually European automakers, especially German.
The reason it has Stirling Moss' name on it is because he used to own it. He sold it through Bonhams auction house in 2015 and you'll note there's a 2015 UK tax disc on the windscreen. Those tags for the Mille Miglia were Moss' when he won the race shortly after signing for Mercedes in 1955. Read up on him, he was a fantastic racing driver and his ownership would elevate the value of this car even more
Astonishing. Thank you.
Yeah I knew this was a UK car when I saw the plate, records state it was exported to the US in 2019.
Stirling*
@@madaxe oh wow, thanks for correcting it. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't know that it was Stirling Moss 🗿
He definitely should have known that.
in terms of styling, the SLS AMG did a great job of paying homage to the 300SL while using more modern lines, shapes and features.
100% Agreed!
This car is art.
No it didn’t. Nose length was just ridiculous
Agreed
@Shutbyotch Nah lol. But the GT looks great and modern in it's own unique form.
The level of trust Doug has these days: "This is the James Webb Telescope, easily one of the greatest achievements of mankind and today, I'm going to review it."
haha
Meanwhile, scientists working on the ELT are sweating 😁
😂😂😂
...and than I'll take it out on the road to see how it drives 🤣🤣🤣
This… is the International Space Station!
Doug: Frankly if I crash this, I rather not survive lol 😂
Yeah I get it 😀
I came to read this comment when I heard Doug saying that!
I bet you also put "😂" when someone died.
@@automation7295 maybe he thinks its crying duento poor eyesight. 🤔
You’re surrounded by tubes. So you will die like a Spartan hero.
As an Australian seeing those two open holes in the back of the cabin seems absolutely insane to me. I wonder if there’s any Gullwings down here that has mesh on that. It’d give me so much more piece of mind haha
No deathly spiders in Europe - no mesh needed
@@CryptocurrencyInsider I'm quite sure I don't want to see any spiders in my car (even those not deadly ones). As a villager I could say it's just the matter of several minutes to have your car occupied by various insects after you park it: bugs, spiders, flies, wasps and so on.
What does being Australian have to do with it? Those holes would actually be far worse in a cold climate (the car has no heater, remember).
@@Davez621 snakes
@@Davez621 they had to ban the Peppa Pig episode which said spiders are friendly because of how intense they can be in Aus
MB Classic Center : How many 300SL do you want?
Doug : *Yes*
lmfao right? 😂
Hoovie was there, they have a few of each because they are restoring them. This one was raced by sterling moss, which is pretty cool.
@ Just do it
Hey go sweep the floor in your mud hut
Many?What:)
Fun fact: if you’re driving around with the front windows removed, it’s advised that you “keep it under 100”. Otherwise, the rubber-set rear windows can potentially blow out.
Kph or mph? Because that makes a lot of difference.
@@jankunc7593 MPH.
thanks for the advice!
@@jankunc7593 100 speed
Someone learned the hard way.
Who else would love to see Doug review more pre-1980’s cars like this?
Me!!
He won't and made a video about why.
Everyone honestly especially old German cars
Nobody.
@@repapeti98 I know why he doesn't, but to be fair the videos of classic cars he did were not really the kind of classics people wanna see. People wanna see like vintage muscle cars, jaguar e types, etc. Not weird Lambos people have barely heard of.
Doug, it's so awesome to see how far you've been able to come. To think you'd be able to roll around in a 300SL Gullwing even a couple years ago seemed so distant, yet here you are. Congratulations.
I wish Doug would review old cars like this. They're just made in such a different and interesting way. Almost haphazardly by modern standards, but that what makes them cool. My dad has '57 Bel Air and it's just fun to look at the engineering and design of it.
He would almost need to invent a new Doug Score scale just for older vehicles to prevent starting a flame war, since most would get a 1 in acceleration, even though there is a huge difference between 0-60mph of 7.1 sec and 10 sec....not to mention handling, features, quality, & value scores as well.
I guess he will eventually review older cars. I don't know how many cars are left from the time span between the early 80 and modern cars that he hasn't reviewed, but wants to review. Watching his channel I think not much, because it's mostly modern cars nowadays. Somewhere he said that newer cars don't bring as much joy as older cars and we all feel that. For the sake of content he has to expand further in to the past. At least I think so.
@@TituzzzD I think the same.
If he wants his channel to grow (and i guess he wanted to also dip his toes with this vid) why not open a new market.
@@pex_the_unalivedrunk6785 imo, he could just not have a doug score for the classics
@@TituzzzD I was thinking the same. Aside from new car releases, he's gotta be getting close to being out of cars fitting his criteria that would actually be interesting for us.
I've seen a handful of 300SLs over the years, but there is SO MUCH in your review that I'd never realized. I know you typically don't do older cars, but I very much enjoyed this and appreciate your willingness to release a video on it. I learned a great deal that will stay with me when I go to my next Concourse or Auction. THANKS!
I had a die cast model of this car growing up and it was my favorite along with the Bugatti Royale.
I still have a diecast model of this car! That's why I am so thankful for this review to put it on my website with my model.
I have a die-cast of it still, alongside Bugatti Type57 SC Atlantic, the other most beautiful car ever made, "ever conceptualized"..😍
Same, made by Burago at 1/18th scale.
I had one too, a black with german flag stripes with red interior and my dad took it and never saw it again :c
Me too, had a collection of Burago cars, loved the classics, 250gto and 58 testarossa. Classic sweeping lines
My parents had a 190 SL convertible, a similar-looking, lower-cost contemporary car. I've never been in a 300 SL but the interior looks very similar to the 190 SL that I knew growing up, it was my mom's crown jewel. I never got to drive it unfortunately because my parents had to get rid of it before I could drive, due to money issues and the cost of maintaining it. But I loved that car and greatly enjoyed riding in it every time we took it out. It doesn't have rear seating but there's a bit of space behind the front seats and I could just sit there for the ride (facing sideways). My parents' everyday car actually wouldn't start on the day my mom had to go to the hospital to give birth to me so they had to take the 190 SL instead. It's interesting and a bit mysterious to me why the 300 SL Roadster has the same turn signal as the 190 SL, but the Gullwing has a different one.
I like how Doug's wild gesturing is enough to shake the entire vehicle.
HAHAHAHA i was coming to comment the same thing…
Ahahahahha
Doug: "It's a lil tight in here, I'm 6foot3 9foot7..." {0.o}
😆😂🤣
I noticed that as well lol
Yeap and his elegant appearance matches this icon of automotive history.......
I think it deserved a solid 10 on value. They are dead reliable, highly supported by MB and there are a host of technicians who know how to maintain them. In ten years I think these will be in the 4-8 million dollar range, becoming true unobtainium
@@yungboicontigo9278 i see both sides
Agreed, will go up in value like crazy
@@yungboicontigo9278 But this car is actually making you money (unless you crash it). You could take out a loan to buy one and it would pay for itself a few years later, even including service, insurance and gas. So it's TECHNICALLY free.
@@yungboicontigo9278 Just shut up, you clown!
The 300 SL is like a super expensive art piece in its own league. Those customers, who have certainly more than 1 Million Dollars on the bank to buy a 300 SL, will make a very good deal with it EVERY TIME.
The prices for certain 300 SLs today can go up to 2.5 million Dollars.
In just a few years, this car will be worth more than 5 million dollars.
I can't understand this de Muro clown at all.
In his "logic" only very cheap cars have a high "value"? This is so retarded.
There's no better value than buying a 300 SL for 1.5 million Dollars and selling it one year later for more than 2 millions.
Hahahaha ...the Lincoln continental is way better ..
There are very few automobiles that are rolling sculptures - this is one of them. Almost 70 years old and still turns heads! Definitely worthy of a 10 for Styling and Cool factor.
I said up there ^^ that I've never seen one on the road. If I did I'd turn around and follow it. I hate people who take pics of other people's cars but this? Yeah, I'd ask if I could take a pic of it.
Tbf I think most 70 year old cars would turn heads today 😂. But definitely this one more than others.
He should have given it an 11 on styling
You can tell this is a dream come true for Doug. The authentic amazement really shines through especially as he's driving and talking about the vehicle's mannerisms and some history. Glad to see you got to drive an automotive icon that you looked up to for years. Great work Doug!
I met a guy once who used to be a Mercedes mechanic in the 50s, and got to repair 300SLs occasionally. I asked him what it was like to repair a 300SL, and his response was, “Very careful.” That guy later became a Citroen mechanic in the U.S., and everyone knew him as the guy to take any quirky, weird foreign cars to for repair. Apparently he also had a BMW Isetta which he used to ferry parts around. I wish I had more time to talk to him. He had some interesting stories.
That’s awesome. It’s an art to work on these beautiful cars
Shoulda coulda woulda! The Plumbers Nighmare, the hydraulic everything must have been fun.
I love the fact that although he knew about the folding steering wheel, he chose to get in awkwardly for all of us, and then folded the steering wheel.
Folding that steering wheel and exposing the wires and stuff just didn't look good so Doug knew better to show the full experience!
“If you know, then you know” kind of also applies to many modern infotainment systems.
Underrated comment.
Except that, for most of those systems, nobody knows.
If you're over 50yo sure
But a lot more people know about the infotainment than the importance of the 300sl
@@gorogorogoro-chan uhhh bro cmon gen z I’m gay and I’m gen z and really gay.
Gay z
Anyone else playing this at 0.75x so doug sounds normal.. I think he had too much coffee before the intro
huh, it works
Yooooo!! Thought I was the only one.
Huuhhh man I tried this and Ya! It is working...... 🤣🤣🤣
0.85x is much normal.
I'd be excited too.
One of the most interesting changes going from Gullwing to Roadster is that the angle of the gears in the gearbox was increased. At lower gear angles, less transmission power loss occurs but a distinct whine is clearly audible - also in the video! Not having the whine is one of the things that make the Roadster relatively most easiest to live with. This underpins most to me that the Gullwing was one of the truest race cars for the road ever. Look up a quick video on straight cut gears if you want to hear a more clear example.
I guess I’d never given much thought into the parasitic loss in a helical cut gear vs. straight… It was instantly noticiable in the drive.
I remember the whine of this car from Grand Turismo!
A friend of the family owned one for years and I got to drive it when I was around 18. He flipped me the keys and said “go ahead, take it for a spin.” I gladly accepted the offer, but was terrified driving it! If I made it over 40 mph, I’d be shocked. Kept thinking what would happen if I crashed it. What a great experience, though. Will never forget it.
"Here's your Bigmac, Sir"
"Just a sec, let me unlatch and remove my window first"
Why ? Just open the door
Bigmac.
It would need to be unlatched to order the damn thing first. lol
That just won't work, you need to trade it in for a Lamborghini Countach, DeLorean DMC12 or a Subaru SVX to deal with that problem. LOL!
Sweet video...its so nice to understand that there was an engineer in the early 50ties thinking how to solve the problem with getting propper doors to that tube-based construction...and he figures out the gull wing doors...that are world famous today but nobody remember the name of the engineer having the idea for it. Everything in this car is so well designed. You can see the thinking of the enigineers. 300 SL was a race car that made limitation in confort easy to understand
The 300 Sl and the Jaguar E-type are two of the most beautiful cars ever made. (For that time period of the 50’s-60’s for sure) … let’s even throw a 250 GT Lusso for the hell of it 😂
Excellent video Douglas!
The Jaguar E-type was contemporary to my high school years. I actually saw them racing in class at Laguna Seca in 1963-64. The body style is still stunning but the narrow track, with the wheels inset way into the wheel wheels, and the stock stance look terribly dated to me now. The SL300 holds up much better in that respect.
I am speechless. What a treat to be able to experience this icon in such detail. Thank you, Doug. You make certain people happier than you'll ever know.
Awww these comments are nice to read bro, I couldn't agree with you more
Yes agreed. Never thought I'd see such an iconic car and to see how quirky it is just to get in. And I gotta see what these tubes were made out of, the diagram shown here looked like pvc pipes 🤣
lol dude you make it sound like Doug took you for a joy ride, it's just a video on the internet.
@@TH-camrsincebirth and a joyride it was. :) cheers
I second that! I definitely second that!🤗
DOUG YOU HAVE TO BREAK THE 80S AND UP RULE OCCASIONALLY. THISSSSS is the review the car needed. Every single car featured in the background is just perfect. This era or mercedes desing is timeless
In Salina Kansas in 1958 my mother and father were looking to buy a used car and it came down to two choices: a 57 vette, or a gull wing mercedes.... They chose the vette, which I can understand... they're both such groovy cars..... they forked over the $2800 for the Corvette and still have it today...with only 50k miles...
The way Doug casually glanced at the Mclaren that passed at 33:06 had me crying I laughed so hard
He's like, pfft, peasant :D
Loll
The 300SL is soo awesome I didn't even noticed the Mclaren
This car wasn't just "fuel injected"... It had gasoline direct injection, a whole 60 year before it was a thing in modern cars! The Muira was gorgeous but the 300SL is in a whole 'nother league above that, and for sure is the world's first supercar.
*"This car wasn't just "fuel injected"... It had gasoline direct injection, a whole 60 year before it was a thing in modern cars!"*
300SL was considered a "modern car" back in 1950's. I love how people forget that older cars were used to be modern back then. It's like art deco was considered modern back in 1930's, now considered ""old" and "outdated".
Also racing version of this car, the 300 slr, had hydraulic operating aero brake system.
Exactly, they drew from very complex but ehm wartime proven technologies from the aero engines Daimler Benz made.
The inverted V aero engines are extremely rare, but at least these engines will live on.
As someone who works at valvoline... fuck GDI engines man. They build up SO much carbon inside the engine in comparison to other engines. Almost every car with a GDI engine (mostly Kia and Hyundai) that come in have no oil on the dipstick and very sludgey oil, unless the owner is very timely with their oil changes and fuel system cleanings. I guess if you owned a 300SL you'd be timely with those things though lol
@@facemcshooty3046 i just have one question: how many 300 sl engines have you seen that had carbon build up?
Read a thousand pages on this masterpiece, never got these info.
Excellent job.
Great video and a truly iconic car.
Just to add the 'pop out' door glass can be removed for ventilation but the main reason for the design is for the occupants to able to get out should the car be in a rollover.
The gull wings obviously won't open if overturned so at least you can crawl out through the window aperture.
The most beautiful automobile in the history. Period.
Geo metro
Agreed
Jaguar E Type has entered the conversation.
Toyota Prius
@David Moore It's a fact! 😅
At last. A review that makes me drop whatever else I’m doing.
I had to laugh at how relieved Doug looked when he was pulling it back into the Mercedes shop and could stop worrying about people crashing into him. Awesome video Doug!
I too was relieved!
This is awesome that Doug got to review one and drive it. Also, huge props to Mercedes for letting them out on the road and supporting them for all these years!
Now that you have the license to review older cars, you should review a DB5.
This incredibly classy singer from a big band act called "The Admirals" would play a big east coast circuit including a restaurant/nightclub In northern VA I worked at. She would always pull up in a gorgeous, mostly original condition (mid to late 80's at the time) 300SL. First time she pulled out into the back of the place I was already drooling over the car because I knew exactly what it was, then the door swings up and out steps the singer, legs first, a scene straight out of a 50's detective "Film Noir". After gathering my courage (I was maybe 20 at the time) I started asking questions about the car, and it became apparent that she was a real "Car Girl", and a genuinely nice person. I became good friends with her and her bandmates over the years, and I always made sure I was on shift to see her pull up and step out of that car:) She knew by tacit agreement that nothing was going to happen to her car on our watch...
I would imagine that the pop-out windows are there mostly as a safety feature. If this car ever ends up on its roof they are the only way to get the occupants out.
Considering those two openings in the back of the roof, the leather interior should have been standard, not for extra luxury, but for weather resistance. Can you imagine what happens when rain water inevitably gets in and those plaid seats turn into giant sponges ?
Finally an anecdote: when I was taking driving lessons we were shown a film explaining how carburetors work followed by a brief allusion to fuel injection featuring a 300SL. After the film the instructor asked us a trick question: do fuel injected cars need air ? I then got into an argument with him because this older gentleman was convinced that cars with fuel injection did not need air to operate...
I always hate those arguments where someone is technically right in a small way, but completely ignores the actual thing they’re arguing just so they can be right.
Compared to a carburetor fuel injection doesn’t need airflow for it to get fuel into the engine. Which I assume is the point they were trying to make.
But, in reality it would still need airflow for the engine to actually operate. So, it’s a poor question and simply someone trying to feel like they’re smart.
I guess a good explanation would be that fuel injection does not need air to introduce the fuel into the engine but it still draws air in for combustion. That would be something both party's could agree on.
Be 1 by
Aaah yes. The 100% fuel ratio.
I read the delorian was a death trap if you put it on its roof, so I'd be on the side of believing that from a design standpoint.
Most beautiful car ever built. Thanks for reviewing it Doug!
The 356 had 130hp only in the rare Carrera 2000 version, which is almost impossible to find and it's worth millions. The regular Porsche 356 had between 40 and 95hp, depending by the model year and the version.
exactly!
Indeed. And in the year 1954, when the 300 SL was introduced, 356 maximum power was 70 HP
@@benty91 it cost only $3455, or $35267 in today's money, less than half of the 300SL. It was totally another category.
Excellent knowledge drop. Thank you! 👍🏻
Looking at Doug inside the SL, 'bull in a China shop' springs to mind
Always loved this car!! At 16 years old in Springfield NJ, there was a lady, who was a palm reader and she owned a 1956 Gullwing. It had a for sale sign on it and she was asking $9,000.00!!!!! I wanted it so bad, but at 16 years old in 1975, who had an extra 9 grand!!! If was was able to buy it, I probably would have sold it a couple of years later for $12,000 and thought I did great, lol!!!
Great story and it really illustrates how, at the time these cars were nice but not that special. Now with these ludicrous prices, television programmes turning iconic cars into something that they never were, it's given rise to an army of fan boys who worship some models - who do they think drove them - gods ? 😁
Just as an add on - love the fact that she was a palm reader Fredly - pity she couldn't see that far into the future 🤣
@@globaleye8 OMG, that's so true!! Shows how good of a medium she was, lol!!
@@fredlyg247 - Now, let me read your palm, yes, yes, I can see you are just going to miss out on a million dollar car 🤣
@@globaleye8 OMG, lol!!!!
Regarding the fender eyebrows, they were available in chrome in some extremely rare examples like the one owned by the late King Hussain of Jordan, which he bought new and currently on exhibit in The Royal Automobile Museum in Jordan.
Doug: you forgot one important note between the coupe and roadster and that was brakes, the gullwing had 4 drums where as the roadster had discs and later 4 wheel discs in 1961. The braking in the GW was iffy at best
Haha even worst knowing you have no seat belts and your face is like a foot away from the windshield
Drove one of these in the 60s more than once "enthusiastically" - gearbox like a truck ! On one test drive, my passenger wanted to stop for a packet of cigarettes, I parked into the kerb, he flung the door up and knocked a cyclist clean off of his bike !😁 I think we would have all fallen over backwards at the value of these things today...
these car back in the 60's were top of the line sports car, no ordinary worker or person could ever afford it.
An ordinary worker could barely even afford an E200.
@@OM-jt9nk - I was a Mercedes mechanic at the time but to tell the truth, we all lusted over E types ! 😁
@@globaleye8 of course you were
@@joaopedrocoimbra What actually was the point of this comment? What reason would he have to lie to random people on the internet?
@@pramay5116 to look cool, some people just do lie, everybody who drives them says theyre fantastic, watch, who is it the f1 driver, who owns one drive it around monaco, thats in like 2017, in the 60s these were like the best druving things you could buy, and he 'knocked a cyclist off his bike' they dont fling up, and theyre hardly wider than the car, that is such a lie, honestly its pathetic anyone would believe this, why he felt the need to put such a fantastic car down is beyond me, he probably doesnt have any car
Scary fun fact. When you were T-boned in this vehicle even at low speed your were normally trapped in your vehicle until rescue came. Any hit on the side normally caused the interior door handle to be damaged as the exterior door handle was smashed in. Meaning in a fire you had very little time to figure out how to smash out the windshield to survive as you door wouldn't be able to open.
I love the way he describes the interior and driving experience like any of us will just go down to our local MB dealer and plunk down a cool $1M for one! Incidentally, our local MB dealer in San Antonio has a 300SL on static display in the showroom…surrounded by ropes. Thanks Doug, this video is the closest I will ever get to this timeless classic!
This is THE MOST ICONIC car Doug has reviewed. You’re in the Ralph Lauren, Jay Leno, Tim Allen, Jerry Sinefiel level now. Proud of you big Dawg.
3.0 i6 with 240hp is honestly amazing considering there are many 6 cylinders out there nowadays with less than that lol.
80 hp/L in 1954!! Granted it was designed as a race engine, but still, that's massive for the era
@@ironymatt Right? Heck, I remember even in the early eighties we thought 60hp/liter in a street car was doing pretty damn good. Of course now I'm driving 130hp/liter naturally aspirated, and some forced induction cars can do well above that.
My 08 ford edge has 265 hp. Not much less than that
Lets not forget that this was the first ever production car that had direct injection. I took most manufacturers another two to three decades to ditch carburetors and switch to direct injection. That makes it arguably the most influential car ever made if we ignore things like the Model T and the Daimler Motorwagen.
I hope you know what you are getting into. I hate to break it to you but this costs a lot more than your Corolla.
I live in a medium-sized Canadian city which happens to have a restoration shop world-renowned for its work on 300SLs. They typically take 18 months to restore each car, and all the panels are made on-site the old school way, with hammers, heels and dollies. I was lucky to tour the shop once, and counted 12 SLs in various stages of restoration!
It's not uncommon to see these incredibly rare cars around town getting their post-resto road-tests, or occasionally being enjoyed by their owners before driving them back to... wherever. They always turn heads. Beautiful.
See, when you do classic cars that everyone knows & loves you WILL get great views on it. Most of the previous classics you did were obscure, but if you’re doing things like the Miura, E-Type, Bel-Air, Classic Corvettes or any of the iconic classic muscle cars of the 60s & 70s you WILL get great feedback & views.
I can only imagine how nervous Doug must have been removing that window...
The rubber seal is dropping out too lol.
probably just as much as when he held his newborn
@@MarcoVenustus To be honest? I bet he was more nervous with the window.
@@muskokamike127 You can always make another baby. But it's going to be hard to find another 300SL window.
@@abhishekrao1525 babies are replacable but a gullwing isnt lmao
240hp out of a 3L inline 6 in the 1950's is incredibly impressive. Given that the BMW M54B30 (a 90s and 00s bmw N/A Inline 6) produces 230HP and that has variable valve timing. Impressive if we don't start talking about fuel consumption.
For me this is THE most beautiful car ever crafted
I know he doesn't typically do older ones, but another legend of a car I'd kill to see reviewed by him is a Duesenberg. Literally any of them.
Someone else who actually knows what a Duesenberg is!
Leno's got 3-4 of them
@@vulam7943 I think a lot of people would recognize them but just don't know what they're called. They're amazing
Jay Lenio has some videos with his two or three
@@brianmiller1077 Oh trust me, I've seen them, I'd just love Doug drooling over it (and to see him floor it on an on-ramp or something)
Something I randomly noticed is Doug never wears sunglasses during his driving portion during the review. He wants to be personable with his audience and I think it’s noble.
not everyone wears sunglasses anyways so you can’t make that assumption like that😂
You’ve got to admire Doug’s dedication…..he advertises Cars And Bids while clearly in need of the toilet
I absolutely love the “THIS” if you ever stop I won’t be able to continue watching. I love your videos man!!!! By far the very best review channel ever.
This car is an ABSOLUTE legend
It’s a shame Doug won’t review classic cars. Yes I’ve seen his video on why he won’t. I’m 21 and there’s plenty of other young people who would like to see them.
I'm 21 as well and I agree with you
I would like to learn about more classic cars.
Same
Here's a classic car ;)
Same
Jerry to Elaine: "hey what happened to your window?" Elaine: "he took ... it ... out."
What is the cross section of Seinfeld and DeMuro. 😂love it.
Haha… It? It. … out? Out.
lmao I JUST watched this episode last night xD
such a pleasure going on a tour of perhaps my favorite car of all time, no less now than when i was a little kid... thanks so much for breaking your only-modern-cars rule for this one
Doug -- I admire the honesty in your videos... You don't play the hype-game. You says it likes you sees its -- and that is a rarity in the YouTubiverse. 😍
This is, in my opinion, the most beautiful car ever made. Ive been waiting for this video for years Doug. Thanks buddy.
Hi, what's your thoughts on the Toyota 2000GT? I'd love to hear what you think about the design of it. 😊
in my opinion as well
@@eliseon8573 it's a totally different era - and I think it's ugly, sorry :)
@@jemand8462 that okay 😊
@@jemand8462 that okay 😊
Doug is the type of guy who upload a V2 Edit of the gull-wing without telling anyone except for who has the notification turned on
🙌
Doug could you give me than one camera angle when you drive these iconic cars like you used to do please? Would be nice to see the hood from the inside, tachometer etc. Would add to the experience.
At the time of its debut, the SL did stun the automobile world. The design is unique and beautiful from most angles and manages to look fantastic 70 years after its inception. Very few designs have ever done so. Its successors never seemed to have captured the mystique of the original and by the late 2000s SLs were criticized for being overweight cruisers for rich retirees. As a GT it did lack in storage space leaving owners to struggle with a lack of a usable trunk. Ironically, modern manufacturing techniques give even economy cars better build quality (and packaging) than most anything made in the 50s, but the craftsmanship of the 300SL was exemplary for its time. I wish more companies would produce 'flagship' models just for the sake of showing off the best of their skills and design finesse. They always seem to sell out when they do no matter what the price (with rare exceptions). The Toyota Yaris GR, the Porsche 918 and just two examples (and price points) of what could be done to promote a brand and create a buzz.
I guess you have no idea what flagship means? Toyota Yaris GR isn't even their flagship model.
Porsche 911 is their flagship model. SL isnt even Mercedes' flagship, that now goes to the S-Class and it's Maybach models.
Isn't this the year the Citroen DS made it's debut? Probably the Porsche 550 Spyder like James Dean's and lets not forget the 265 Chevrolet. 1955 was a hell of a year in the car world! Also about the time Jaguar started offering Girling disc brakes on their cars. Pretty much the first to do so although Citroen may have been around the same time.
@@automation7295 Maybe i'm wrong but i think someone may be confusing "flagship model" for "halo car"
@@automation7295 you can't tell differences between flagship and halo cars
23:34 "the engine is fuel injected"
To be precise the engine actually has a gasoline direct injection system. At the time this was ridiculously far out.
Yes it's a mechanical direct-injection system very similar to diesel. Unfortunately gasoline continues to be injected briefly after the engine is shut off and, unlike diesel fuel which isn't as much of a solvent, this washes down the cylinder walls which removes the oil from them. If the car isn't allowed to warm up and run for a while at full temperature basically every time it's driven (to allow the extra fuel to burn off or evaporate), it's hard-starting the next time and will eventually develop excessive cylinder wear if it's continually abused. That's basically why mechanical GDI systems weren't offered on standard production cars (mechanical port FI was a little more common and wasn't quite so bad because they squirted the fuel behind the valves so it could evaporate more easily post-shutdown and also they ran at lower pressures so were less expensive than DI).
@@fsfs555 sounds like a rotary
@@fsfs555 The fuel direct-injection system for the 300 SL engine was was straightly "borrowed" from the famous Daimler DB 601 12 cylinder engine, which was in a lot of German WWII war birds like the Messerschmitt Bf 109, Heinkel He100 and a lot of other German combat planes from that era.
@@Porsche1969 Daimler-Benz like mercedes-benz, basically the same company
Three kinds of McLarens: Uncommon and cool (F1), Common but still conspicuous (the current line up), the kind Doug just ignores as they drive by while he’s filming a 300Sl (33 min mark).
The second horn button probably goes back to the original Mille Miglia, which was the original 300SLs first race. 1,000 miles over the open roads of Italy at full race speed. Each entry had a driver and a navigator, and the navigator may have been charged with using the horn to get spectators out of the road. The oddball door handles were probably to reduce drag at Le Mans to improve speed on Mulsanne.
The storage area behind the seat is actually a perfect dog spot. Even has a nice railing to clip his leash to.
Yeah, Noodle should have gone along for the ride. He's tired of the Ford GT.
Amazed Doug finally reviewed this! My dad’s dream car. Also, RIP Stirling Moss
33:06 wow! A bloody Mclaren ripping by! Probably the only time that person thought they were in a lame car by comparison lol!
All joking aside this video made me smile the entire time. This car is absolutely insane, literally a revolution in motoring, fuel injected, synchronized manual, disk brakes.. the list could go on. This car is absolutely a part of the automotive story, and the history is incredible. I've learned more than I knew about this incredible vehicle. Absolutely great video!
Good job Doug. That was a lot of material to cover in half an hour. Glad you finally mentioned the handling improvement of the roadster (indirectly that is... due to the lower pivot point of the rear swing axle... always an issue with the 300SL).
As I hit my head on The way in I am reminded of how luxurious this door system is
This is a work of engineering and art, in my opinion will go as one of the greatest cars of all time.
Finally Doug isn't confused about the title of the video.
U saw him post that edit video 😂
"Mercedes 300SL v2" 😂
@john haha yes
Doug should do more oldtimer and classic car reviews! This is absolutely lovely! ❤🔥
When I was a kid my dad would talk about Sterling Moss being the best driver of all time. So having his autograph in your car is kind of insanely cool.
I love how Doug explains things. The little details are the most interesting
TBH I really like the fact that the fuel door is inside the car. It is so special and has more style than all other cars and the body is much cleaner to look at. This would never annoy me.
and you get those sweet fumes
*"It is so special and has more style than all other cars and the body is much cleaner to look at"*
But most people will complain and would still prefer a fuel door outside the car.
*"This would never annoy me"*
Wouldn't you mind if other male drivers staring at your ass while opening the truck every time when you pull into a gas station?
@@automation7295 bro calm down
I just LOVE the amount of metal in the interior. Looks so beautiful, shiny and classy...
Doug in a robbery:
“THISSS is a robbery”
“Put the money in the bag or you will see the quirks and features of this glock-19.”
Come on now, Glock 19 on a 300SL video? That's for the VW Bug video. Should be "Quirks and Features of this P7M8."
@@VMEMotor5 Doug is the type of guy who would NEVER commit a felony like a robbery 🌈
Lol realize Doug talking about guns:):)
Iam sure it can be really funny to hear how many quikry features have AK 47 for example.
It's crazy to think that the Germans were able to make something like this in less than 10 years after the WWII, in which their manpower, economy and infrastructure were devastated. Huge respect. 🙌🏼
That's no shit,i can't remember what show this was in but it was a comedy i watched a while back and these 2 guys were contemplating a difficult task and one guy asked the guy next to him "you think we can do that?" and the guy replied "they rebuilt Berlin didn't they? lol
Meanwhile in my country, they cant even fix a 10 year old pothole
Hagerty made a nice docu about the 300 Super Leicht. Thats what SL stands for, Hagerty found the Document.
you from trinidad
@@doodskie999
@@doodskie999 to be fair, nowadays in germany, they also need 10 years to fix an old pothole. :(
Back when Merc wasn't a brand for people who insist on leasing one to look rich, despite being on the verge of bankruptcy with overwhelming credit card debt.
Yeah I find it funny when people act special because they drive the bank's car.
also the car of choice for the dictator around the world
it's not really mercedes fault though. They still have amazing cars like the S class, E63 AMG, AMG GT etc
@@kristians2704 it is their “fault,” because they (as well as other “luxury” nameplates) are the ones who watered down their lineup; and lowered the barrier to entry. Can we really blame them though? Who doesn’t want more sales? Also, more sales means more money; more money means that the awesome cars get to become more awesome… Live and let live :)
Sounds like something I'd do. lol
i wasn't sure if youd get the chance to drive this car. Im so glad you did. I loved looking at the background to see all the other drivers faces.
Everyone’s talking about how beautiful this car is and I can’t deny it but I always found the simple pointy on one end and smooth curve on the other end of the 928 to be one of the best looks in a car.
Agreed
Always though the 928 took inspiration from the form of a shark. I remeber as a child far preferring the 924, 944 baby brother look, but I do agree now the 928 is a stunner and certainly grew on me. The design never aged and seems to just get better.