Must read: The REAL story behind the Mercedes-Benz Gullwing

The REAL story behind the Mercedes-Benz 300sl Gullwing

Classic Beauty, or Beast?

By W. R. Francis

 
Once upon a time, in a far away land, a car was born with an unusual heritage. It was destined to become an international icon. It was sexy, quick, sleek and very unique. Figuratively speaking, an automotive bomb bursting in air. A masterpiece that blended form and function with style and stance. It was a seductive package of performance and open-road romance. It was the elegant mistress every car guy wanted to hide in his garage.
 
For those of you who ever coveted ownership of a silver-over-red, 300SL Gullwing, and who among you hasn’t, here’s some little-known history about these beautiful birds. What now seems like a hundred years ago, a few of us young gear heads looking for work in post-war America, felt privileged to find it working for the company that made these unique beasts.  The time, mid-fifties.  The place, a sprawling four-story warehouse on 12^th Avenue in Manhattan, first home of Mercedes-Benz of North America.
 
We’d heard rumors, read advance press releases and were very impressed. Among most of us there was real buzz in anticipation of the day when das big boot would arrive with the first shipment of these evolutionary speedvagens, offspring of MB’s infamous RW-196 Grand Prix cars. Then finally, on a rainswept  day we got our first up-close and personal look at these new automobiles. Oh my God, we said, what a stunning design.  For car lover’s, this was total eye candy!  So bold, yet graceful in an aggressive way. What magnificent machines! And, we hadn’t even sat in one yet!
 
Then when things calmed down and reality set in, we learned this new exciting addition to the Mercedes-Benz line was now “ours” to sell throughout North America. But being smug, brash car guys we asked ourselves, do we really have to sell these cars? We thought it was absurd. We, and our dealers, of which there weren’t a great many, would have no problems selling these machines. Hell, we thought we probably didn’t have enough inventory for an initial launch, let alone sustain retail sales. So, seduced by the beauty of these beasts, and our car-crazy optimism, we suggested increasing inventory. This car was hot! So, additional shipments arrived, and like good corporate soldiers we sallied forth to accept dealer orders and arrange for dealer demos to be available for showrooms and high-profile events. That done, we returned to await the flood of orders.
 
We waited. And waited. And waited some more. Meanwhile shipments kept coming. More waiting. More shipments. By now, these “hot” machines were lined-up door-handle-to-door-handle in a wide array of colors on both sides of one full floor in our 12^th Ave. warehouse! In fact, at one time we had such a Gullwing glut we ordained some as executive cars and field cars and drove ‘em home!
 
We were following that old Detroit sales manager’s axiom. Get ‘em out on the street, show the consumers what they’re missing! Sure. 
 
Dealers were ecstatic. We were heroes. These cars were lightning rods! They told us how much their floor traffic had increased since displaying their demo in the showroom. They also thought consumer reaction was “obviously” a precursor to volume(?) sales. After all, consumers said these cars were exciting and beautiful, and who knows, maybe even exciting to drive? And, oh yes, they were also showing great enthusiasm and interest toward purchase.
 
But alas, in this case, consumer enthusiasm and qualified buyers were not the same animal. Enthusiasm is one thing. Writing a check is another. Did these people like the car? Oh yes!  Did they actually want to buy one?  Well, not right now.  But, it certainly was “unusual” they said.  After several months of this overwhelming “enthusiasm”, reality raised its ugly head, along with angst among the German brass. And, among ourselves. After all, we were responsible for moving this iron, albeit beautiful, from our warehouse to our dealer’s “house”, or for that matter, anybody’s house!  
 
There was a cultural side to this angst that ran throughout Mercedes-Benz N.A., especially among those aristocratic few from Daimler-Benz who had been hand-picked for corporate duty in the United States. Some considered themselves “guests” in the land of automotive opportunity. Others, depending on their point of view, either considered us former “enemies”, or their newest best friends.  The cultural dynamics, although sometimes blurry, played an attitudinal role. Here we were we are the victorious, free-wheeling presumably rich Americans, who invented the automobile (actually after Daimler-Benz) displaying a rather disdainful attitude toward these high-quality products from post-war Germany. Bonds of fellowship were grounded in our shared enthusiasm for the engineering and performance of these cars that also had personality and character. (Unlike Detroit’s penchant for characterizing their products as, “units”, as in units of profit.) Many were car-guys just like us. The only difference was we spoke different languages.
 
We experienced some angst ourselves. Some of us had been in the service, but for us the war was over, so let’s get back to our immaturities and fantasies about fast cars, fast women and fast money.  And, now along comes this very sophisticated sports coupe with a great racing heritage we can sell to people with many of the same fantasies we had. In psychographic terms, the 300SL seemed like a much better option to fulfill those dreams than some muscle-bound sled from Detroit. So, with a little corporate “urging” we got off our intellectual duffs to find out what happened? Why weren’t these cars selling like proverbial hot cakes? After all, we were wholesaling these Gullwings to our dealers for $8400.
Now you might ask, since we were all so damn market-smart, did any of us hock the family silver and buy one? Whatta you think?
 
It was time to create a “new” discipline, niche marketing. Developed in part by wrapping the art of psychographic study and the science of demographics in a nice fuzzy blanket! We launched a research program, complete with interviews, some invalid focus groups, and invoked a unique method of asking simple questions and actually listening to the answers! (What a concept! Unheard of then, and to some extent even now.) We were surprised with what we found.  Some false perceptions of course, but some practical complaints as well. Aside from price issues, it’s fair to say one of the significant yet “silent” reasons for consumer “concern” was that the car quite simply intimidated a lot of people. Even those classified as “better” drivers. Although prevailing mano-mano attitudes often made that difficult to qualify. It should be noted here, the 300SL was never advertised as blazingly fast, however it could reach 150mph with disconcerting ease. And it handled wrinkles and bends in the road with unusual grace. (Affluent aficionados could order a 300SLR, a limited production, high-performance model featuring a light alloy body, high-lift cams, Rudge knock-offs and competition suspension.) But behind the image of speed and flattering rhetoric, it became apparent that intimidation, however subliminal, led other considerations such as, lifestyles and in some cases, national pride or prejudice also added to this challenging psychographic consumer puzzle.   
 
Contributing to the intimidation factor was the fact you didn’t actually “sit” in this car. You wore it! And although it fit beautifully, after 300SL doors are closed, the lower edge of the dash panels, in combination with their close proximity to the transmission tunnel and interior door panels, presented an initial feeling of unnatural confinement. Cockpit space was “visually tight”. Admittedly, some amateur acrobatics were required to get over the extraordinarily wide door sill, plant your feet in the box and get your butt in the bucket. But, practice made perfect. And once there, it was surprisingly comfortable thanks to the well-designed seats, which offered a secure feeling of surrounding body support. 

We felt “trying the car on” in the static setting of a showroom was not the best way to present it and may have been the reason for creating feelings of claustrophobia, thereby dampening all the enthusiasm we’d heard so much about.  Yet understandably, there weren’t many dealers willing to turn this car over to prospective buyers for an extended demo ride.
 
We also found an interesting negative from the distaff side of 300SL looky-loos. Most women fell in love with the looks of the car, no doubt about that. But when the time came to consider actually driving one, attitudes changed for several pragmatic reasons. When the gullwing doors are raised to enter or exit the cabin, the first thing that greets a woman wearing a skirt is a very broad sill over which she must somehow maneuver gracefully without showing off some of her assets.  The very perception of such an embarrassing moment may have helped quash any spousal support with respect to purchase. Universal reaction among most femme fatales was, yes it’s a beautiful car, but it’s a man’s machine, and an awkward one for me to drive, or even be a passenger without always being concerned about wearing appropriate clothing. And by the way, it’s certainly not an automobile that lends itself for use as the household pick ‘em up. In all fairness, there were some similar concerns expressed by men, but our take was they were more comfortable with Detroit iron.
 
As we said earlier, you “wear” this car. Not to work, or the grocery store, or to run  errands. Its inherent beauty lies in the fact it has long legs. It was designed as a high-speed, long-distance touring car, complete with custom-fitted luggage and all the performance and creature comforts one (or two) might need. You can “wear” it anywhere with elegance and trust. In the universe of world-class automobiles, only a handful have character and charisma. The Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing is one of those automobiles.
 
If you’d like to buy your very own 300SL, here’s some tips. Be sure and bring money. Lots of it. (A 300SL recently sold at the Amelia Island auction for $750K)
Do not consult your financial adviser before you wave that paddle, or write that check. Ignore its outrageously inflated value. Try to diplomatically avoid your wife’s well-intentioned “advice”. If you’re successful turning your back on these realities, there’s only one thing left to say. Bless You My Son. And be careful, it only takes a New York minute to fall in love with your new winged mistress!
 
Best tip. To enhance marital peace, suggest to her it’s a great car for a second  honeymoon.
 
2003 wrf
 
About the Author.
 
W. R. Francis currently heads his own marketing communications and corporate events group.