Mercedes re-entered motorsport after World War II in 1951, not initially in Formula One (which they would enter again in 1954) but in the arena of sportscar racing. They developed a car based on the drivetrain of their new 300 saloon model, which donated it's 3 litre straight six engine. This was modified to produce a higher output and placed in an advanced "spaceframe" chassis. This type of chassis, made up of multiple small tubes welded together to form a 3 dimensional shell, was very strong yet lightweight. The only problem was the sides of the chassis were too high to allow a normal door aperture. Mercedes overcame this by designing a body with upwards opening doors, which due to their profile when open gave the car it's nickname of "Gullwing". You still had to climb over the substantial sill to enter the car however.
The race cars were very successful, including an outright win at the 1952 LeMans race. The race versions of this car are currently being made in 1:18th by the high quality CMC model company, but they are very expensive, and to date I have not added one to my collection yet.
With encouragement from the US Mercedes Benz importer, Max Hoffman, who promised to take 1,000 cars, Mercedes decided to develop a roadgoing model of the Gullwing for sale. This car modelled here is the result. Apart from details like the shape of the front grill and headlights, as well as the addition of a few creature comforts and front and rear bumpers, the street car is very similar to the race car. Another difference from the race car was the addition of fuel injection for the street car (one of the first production cars to have fuel injection). In this form, the 3 litre straight six gave 215bhp, which is good even by modern standards. Flat out the car could achieve around 150 miles per hour. It's only vice was tricky handling due to a swing axle type rear suspension, which made the car "tail happy". With drums all round, the brakes were not up to much either. All told, Mercedes produced 1,400 Gullwings between 1954 and 1957, when the similar roadster model was introduced.
This is actually the very first 1:18th model I ever got. It was a present from a good friend for my 21st birthday. It came on a nice wooden display base, which I have stored separately. It is a nice looking model, but it is crude in terms of detail. As it is an early Bburrago design, it's crudeness is forgivable, but current Bburrago's are not much better, showing they have not moved with the times. Interior details such as the steering wheel and dashboard are very chunky, and the engine is poorly detailed as well. Other faults include unrealistic looking tires, with "Bburrago" moulded on the sidewalls, instead of a real tire manufacturer. Hence it only gets 2/10 marks, but despite it's low rating, I still like this model as it was the first of many in my collection! Kyosho also make a Gullwing, but it does not appear to be much better than this one. It too was an early effort from Kyosho, but unlike Bburrago, Kyosho have seriously upped their game and now make some of the finest 1:18th scale model cars available.
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