The Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Is a $1 Million Sports Car Icon 

Doug: Frankly if I crash this, I rather not survive lol 😂

“Frankly if I crash this car, I rather not survive” yes exactly lol that car is beautiful

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.

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

Here’s hoping that Doug will break “Only post 80’s cars” rule again and review Aston Martin DB5

this particular 300sl, with the mille miglia medallions and stirling moss' signature, might be the coolest car doug has ever reviewed

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.

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

Gull-wing doors by engineering necessity has to be one of the most German things of all time

What a beauty. I definitely plan on buying one of these after the lease is up on my Corolla.

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. 🙌🏼

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.

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."

MB Classic Center : How many 300SL do you want? Doug : *Yes*

"If I crashed this car I'd rather not survive" LOLOLOLOL! I get you. :D

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.

He finally got his hands on one. The absolute legend.

Honestly Doug reviewing old cars like that is pure joy I wish we would see more

Anyone else playing this at 0.75x so doug sounds normal.. I think he had too much coffee before the intro

"Here's your Bigmac, Sir" "Just a sec, let me unlatch and remove my window first"

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!

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...

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!

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.

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.

In the last few weeks I have watched many, and I mean many of your videos. I have never seen anyone love what they do more than you do. I love cars and I really love super cars, so thank you for all that you do. I get to geek out while watching you geek out. Keep em coming.

Most beautiful car ever built. Thanks for reviewing it Doug!

I like how Doug's wild gesturing is enough to shake the entire vehicle.

Who else would love to see Doug review more pre-1980’s cars like this?

The Gullwing is and will continue to be one of the most beautiful cars ever made.

The long hood short trunk styling inspired the Corvette's shape, practically all American sports cars wanted to emulate the 300 SL since it was that beautiful and timeless. Small block V8s weren't even that long, yet American car companies extended the hood as much as possible just for that European styling.

Definitely one of the most beautiful cars ever.

The way Doug casually glanced at the Mclaren that passed at 33:06 had me crying I laughed so hard

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).

Doug should do more oldtimer and classic car reviews! This is absolutely lovely! ❤‍🔥

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.

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.

You know you're in something special when people in brand new AMG's are taking videos of you on the road.

You can tell Doug was so excited to be reviewing this car, and it’s kinda adorable.

I am so pleased to see you review this absolute icon of automotive history. And while sparse in many modern features, this is the best example of less is not just more but positively THE MOST! Thank you Doug, this without doubt will my favorite review because of the glee you have just being near it!👍🏼

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

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.

Doug…watched this video before, but I love the 300SL. Definitely a dream car. I’m happy that you got to experience driving it and spending time with it. Good job, man. Thank you for making these videos.

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.

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.”

“If you know, then you know” kind of also applies to many modern infotainment systems.

I think Doug's in love! Thanks for sharing your experience with us, my friend. I can remember seeing pictures of these Mercedes in books and magazines as a kid in the late 1960's to early '70's, and even at that time - 15 or more years after it was introduced - the 300 SL coupe was perceived as the most amazing and visual car ever made. By the '70's there were faster cars, more powerful cars and more expensive cars, but none as amazing. It was from the future.

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.

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.

I had a die cast model of this car growing up and it was my favorite along with the Bugatti Royale.

Great information on this very recognisable cars. Never was aware the number of differences between the coupe and the roadster.

Absolutely beautiful!! And way ahead of its time!!

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'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!

Thanks Doug! I've been a fan of the 300 SL for 60 years and learned a couple of new things from you.

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 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.

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 love your views on these classic cars as they are so accurate it proves how much experience you have for all the classic cars you have driven you are one of the few I take seriously as a mechanic and also have driven a number of high-end cars in my time working for the RAC (the royal automobile club for over fifteen years I used to cover the London to brighten rally with some really old classic cars like Packard's model Ts which was so easy to work on compared to some of the steam cars like whites but I loved the days doing it getting them going again most new every nut and bolt of there car and I learned so much from them now I am retired through an accident at work but would be doing it today if I was fit enough The RAC was one of the best jobs I had ever worked for they look after me still.

Dear Dug thak you so much for this video it was realy a true pleasure watchig this

Now that you have the license to review older cars, you should review a DB5.

Mercedes dealer: Doug, how did you like driving the 300 SL? Doug: wonderful, now can I have the deed to my house back?

Thank you for posting. I smiled during the entire video.

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

Jerry to Elaine: "hey what happened to your window?" Elaine: "he took ... it ... out."

I can only imagine how nervous Doug must have been removing that window...

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.

What a dream car! I love those plaid seats. I'd consider myself lucky just to sit in one, let alone drive the machine itself. Amazing!

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!

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.

I just LOVE the amount of metal in the interior. Looks so beautiful, shiny and classy...

There are points in this video that Doug is so excited, and is speaking so quickly, that you can lower the video to .75 speed and it still sounds normal. LOL

At last. A review that makes me drop whatever else I’m doing.

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.

I’d rather own the coupe than the roadster despite the lack of conveniences. Those gull-wing doors are epic.

I was really exited for the driving portion of this video! What an exceptional car!!

Finally Doug isn't confused about the title of the video.

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 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.

This and the Jaguar E-Type are two of the most beautiful cars ever made imo

"However, if I crashed this car, I'd rather NOT survive..." 😂 Awesome Doug quote for the ages

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!

Very good show Doug, it was my first modelcar, when i was 6 jears old, my dad fiks and made a lot of them…the real car… Nice to see your love for this amazing work of art….

I had a friend growing up who's dad had one. I remember thinking how beautiful it was. I always loved the doors.

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

You’ve got to admire Doug’s dedication…..he advertises Cars And Bids while clearly in need of the toilet

Yes! Nothing's better than Doug and a classic car. I always wait for one of these reviews

Doug the video made me cry. I really want one! ❤️

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.

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...

Such a beautiful car. You see people looking at it as you drive so it's obviously special. You have the best job in the world there bro.

Must've been an absolute honor Doug, to get the dream chance to drive a true mammoth in automotive history/prestige. The 300 SL Gullwing is truly a piece of rolling art. I find great admiration in the old Mercedes Benz. I'm an old soul, trapped in a 37 year old frame. Funny/True Story: My father tried to buy one when he was living in CA back in the late 60's. Sadly, the man declined my father's generous offer. He truly loved these Gullwings. The particular example was Black/Brown interior. His soul was old when it came to vehicles, particularly loving Duesenbergs. Funny enough, his true love was his '69 GTO which he was able to purchase off the showroom floor in Orange CA after he and my mom tied the knot just a week after Neil Armstrong walked on the surface of the moon. He'd do the unthinkable come the summer of '74 when the Gas Crisis was in swing. He traded it in on a new Pinto. Yep, the hatch that would explode if hit just right from the rear ((that's what she said)) His Matador Red/White 4spd. Goat was always the one car he always regretted ridding himself of, even in his dying days. At least he had passions, one of which he'd drive with a smile each and every time.

No one ever: "it's impossible to maintain a shit eating grin for over 35 minutes" Douggy Fresh: "Hold my beer"

Read a thousand pages on this masterpiece, never got these info. Excellent job.

Great review Doug. You should do more antique cars.

For me this is THE most beautiful car ever crafted

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

Shoutout to the OG’s who remember Mercedes Benz 300SL Gullwing EDIT v2 😔

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.

Another great car review!!!