Brabus 1957 300 SLS Is What Restoration Dreams Are Made Of
Based on the W198 300 SL Roadster, the 1957 300 SLS was meant to promote sales of the W198 300 SL Roadster and Gullwing by showing it off in motorsports.
Brabus has always been known as a flamboyant aftermarket tuning firm to Mercedes-Benz, creating some ostentatious versions of existing models. But just a few years ago, Brabus introduced its Brabus Classic division, an arm of the company dedicated entirely to flawless and top-shelf restorations of classic Mercedes-Benz models. And the company just revealed its latest project: a full-fledged restoration of a very rare 1957 300 SLS, as you see here on the official Brabus YouTube Channel.
The 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLS may sound familiar, and that’s because it’s essentially a motorsports version of the road-going W198 300SL Gullwing and Roadster. It was developed specifically for the American sports car racing championship season in 1957. Based off of the W198 300 SL Roadster specifically, which is basically a road-going version of the original 1952 W194 300 SL race car, the 1957 300 SLS was meant as a way to promote sales of the W198 300 SL Roadster and Gullwing by showing it off in motorsports.
But the 300 SLS wasn’t met without controversy. When it was introduced, the Sports Car Club of America at the time, or what’s currently known as the SCCA, didn’t accept the 300 SLS in the standard production class. So Mercedes-Benz reduced the weight of the 300 SLS to make it eligible for the “Class D” racing sport league.
Powered by the same 3.0-liter gasoline inline-six as the 300 SL, the 1957 300 SLS produced around 235 horsepower. But some of its key features included the lack of bumpers of any kind, a unique dashboard cover with an integrated air inlet vent and a small-sized racing windshield, as well as a driver-only roll-over protection bar.
Like other restorations in Brabus Classic’s portfolio, which includes a W113 SL Pagoda, a W108 280SE 3.5 V8 coupe, and of course, W198 300 SL coupes and roadsters, the 1957 300 SLS underwent an equally meticulous restoration. The company’s experience and knowledge is so extensive, that Brabus Classic even became an official restoration partner to Mercedes-Benz Classic.
As the company touts on its page, all restorations come with a full new-car warranty. As many as 1,500-4,000 man hours go into restoring models, depending on the car. And at the end of the process, each car goes through a “6 Star” evaluation before completion and delivery into the hands of a private owner.
Check out Brabus Classic’s 1957 300 SLS in action in the quick video above.
Black & White photo by Daimler AG
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