​1954 to 1963

 

300SL ("Gullwing")    1954–1957
300SL (Roadster)      1957–1963

190SL                        1955–1963
230SL                        1963–1967
250SL                        1966–1968
280SL                        1967–1971

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Mercedes-Benz SL came with 11" ID aluminum brake drums on both front and rear with a 4" wide cast iron liner. The Mercedes SL is a grand tourer since 1954 and the designation SL derives from the word Sport Lightweight.  The 300 SL was applied to the 'Gullwing' named which meant that the upward-opening doors. The term SL-Class refers to the marketing variations of the vehicle, including the numerous engine configurations spanning six design generations.  The 300SL roadster succeeded the Gullwing in 1957. The 4-cylinder 190SL was more widely produced with 25,881 units, starting in 1955. Cars of the open SL-Class were available as a coupe with a removable hardtop or as a roadster with convertible soft top or with both tops. Production for the 190SL and 300SL ended in 1963.

Next came the SL-Class 230SL, a new design with a 2.3L mechanically fuel injected six cylinder engine. It featured a low waistline and big curved greenhouse windows, and a Coupe Roadster with detachable hardtop, whose distinctive roofline earned the nickname "pagoda top."   Then around 1967, the engine received a displacement increase and the model became known as the 250SL. Within a year the engine displacement was increased for the final time and the model designation became 280SL.

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