Winning Hearts & Races

The racing success of the 300SL, and its high desirability as a curvaceous road-ready sportscar, had wowed admirers on both sides of the Atlantic. The 190SL, fashioned after its big brother, was a hit in the market - and profitable for Mercedes-Benz.

Hence the launch of the W113, with its straight lines and refined appearance, came as a shock to those expecting Mercedes-Benz to continue with their racing-car looks. Notably Road & Track magazine gave a less than stellar review of the newcomer, with the journalist baffled by its strange, pagoda-like hardtop roof.

With the introduction of the 230SL came a tsunami of engineering innovations which gave the car greater handling, performance and reliability. Yet the motoring community, still infatuated with curves and chequered flags of the past, weren’t immediately won over. So, Mercedes-Benz turned to the same PR strategy it had used for decades – winning races.

In August 1963 Mercedes-Benz entered the new 230SL in the 5,500 km Spa-Sofia-Liège Rally, with Eugen Böhringer (1962 winner) and co-driver Klaus Kaiser chosen to drive the red Pagoda for 4 gruelling days.

Copyright Mercedes-Benz Group AG

‘Number 39’ was based on a pre-production vehicle with a beefed-up powerplant and rally suspension. Starting in Spa, the route took in the Saarland, Baden-Württemberg and then on to Austria, Italy, Yugoslavia, Romania and finally Sofia. After a rest, the route ran back through the mountains of Yugoslavia and Italy.

Of the 129 vehicles that started, only 20 of them finished the rally, with the first being Number 39 – the 230SL. Not wasting any time to start the PR engine, Mercedes-Benz displayed the 230SL rally car at the ’63 Frankfurt International Motor Show, leaving the press in no doubt about the car’s calibre.

The 230SL would enter races in subsequent years however by that time its blend of style and engineering had won over any doubters. Priced above the new Jaguar E-type, a conventional, curvy sports-car built inches from the ground, the new 230SL now had competition away from the racing circuit, a challenge we will cover in our next issue.