Product Information:

CMC M-159 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLGreat Prix of Bern, 1952 #20

Limited Edition No 1043 of 1500 pieces

Condition: Preowned in Excellent Condition

History (Original Vehicle)

In 1952, Mercedes-Benz staged a comeback to motorsports racing with the newly-developed Type 300SL (W194) featuring an unusual entry through a gull-wing door that opens from the lower edge of the side window and swivels upward around the centerpiece of the rooftop, this streamlined sports car immediately cast a spell on the racing enthusiasts.

After a successful debut at the Mille Miglia, the 300SL moved on to the renewed competition of sports car racing at the Grand Prix of Bern on May 18th, 1952.

The three officially registered 300SLs were decked out in uncommonly colorful finishes, including dark red (Rudolf Caracciola, #16), green (Karl Kling, #18), and blue (Hermann Lang, #20), not to mention the silver-colored finish of the replacement car with Fritz Riess (#22) at its wheel. The team was ready to engage the rivals from Ferrari, Lancia, Aston Martin, and Jaguar. At the end of the race, Mercedes-Benz celebrated a spectacular triple-victory, with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places clinched by Karl Kling, Hermann Lang, and Fritz Rieß respectively. The joy of victory, however, was tempered because a tragic accident had happened to Rudolf Caracciola when he veered off the track on a stalled front brake and crashed into a tree in Round 13. He was taken to hospital with a broken femur and other injuries. His recovery was long, and the bone fracture plus a knee surgery caused lasting impairment to his right leg, which put an end to Caracciola's racing career.

Model Details:

• Metal precision model, hand-mounted and composed of more than 250 parts
• Authentic and true-to-scale designed "Gullwing"-body
• Fold-up wing doors with turnable vent-windows
• Perfectl< replicated cooler grill with dominating Mercedes Star. All parts are made of metal
• Functional trunk lid
• Contemporary license plates front and rear
• Fuel tank filler with a flip-open cover in the trunk
• Detailed 6-cylinder in-line engine with aggregates and pipes. The engine is mounted prototypical, inclined to the left by 50°
• Seats are upholstered with a real textile cover in an attractive check pattern
• Finely worked dashboard with a full array of instruments and controls
• Interior-equipment with carpet flocking
• Brillant paintwork with original coloring and starting numbers printed by the elaborate tampon printing method