Commenters ground the car's mystique in its engineering story: wartime-derived Bosch fuel injection, the lightweight tube frame whose stiffness dictated the gullwing doors, and importer Max Hoffman's role in guaranteeing sales that brought the car to market. Some enthusiasts rate it the finest car buildable in its era; a few frame the innovations more skeptically.
Historical significance: fuel injection, gullwing doors, Max Hoffman
Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing/Roadster (W198) · history