Perhaps the single most identifiable symbol of luxury and style in the automotive world is the Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star.
Mercedes has been leading the field in the delicate balance between style and technology since 1881.
This makes the German powerhouse the oldest car manufacturer in existence today.
Below are the top five Mercedes cars ever made:
5. 1937 540 K Special
For a car to have 180 horsepower and a supercharged engine in the 1930s, it needed to be something special. The 540 K (K is for Kompressor) Special was just that car, and set the benchmark for the horsepower race of the first half of the 20th century. At the time, the fastest, most powerful cars on the road were just breaking 100 horsepower, so the 540 K was a leap ahead of the competition. Its massive engine required an enormous nose and the front-end weight made steering difficult. The car was best designed for cruising on the autobahn at high speeds, not for taking sharp curves through the Italian Alps. These cars can fetch up to £5 million at auction today.
4. 2010 E63 AMG
The E63 AMG is perhaps the most perfect “all-purpose” sedan in the world. The car is every bit your typical E-Class Mercedes to 90% of onlookers, but those that are automotively inclined will notice the 20-inch AMG rims, flared body kit and a growl that will wake the neighbors each morning.
The E63 uses the AMG-tuned 6.2 litre, 517-horsepower engine you’ll find across the Mercedes lineup; however, what makes the E so special is not the 4.0-second 0-60 time, the riding-on-rails feel or even the three different suspensions or four different transmission settings — it’s the fact that it’s the perfect size. The C63 is too small to be really useful with four people, and the S63 is too large be understated. If you want one car that can do it all, the E63 AMG is the car for you.
3. 1954 300 SL Gullwing
https://youtu.be/BYlIFSfRdXk
The 300 SL Gullwing is the car that changed it all for Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. Prior to the introduction of this model, Americans believed Mercedes to be the maker of classic, high-quality, but boring cars. The Gullwing made people look at MB as the maker of luxury sports cars for the rich and beautiful, despite only 1,400 Gullwings being produced. On top of its trademark upward opening doors, the 300 SL was the first-ever gasoline-powered car equipped with fuel injection directly into the combustion chamber. The Gullwing was recently ranked the No.5 sports car of all time, and it is nothing short of an icon.
2. 1970 C111
The C111 series was an experimental line of cars used by Mercedes-Benz to test innovative technologies of the day like diesel engines, mid-mounted engines and even luxuries like air conditioning. The body of all the C111’s was made of fiberglass and its sliver-like design gave it an unheard of drag coefficient of .191. The C111 set numerous land speed records and many times broke 200 mph. A later version of the C111, equipped with a 500-horsepower engine, once set a record of highest average lap speed of 250.98 mph in 1979.
1. 1955 300 SLR Racer
It’s not often that a racer takes inspiration from a streetcar, but that’s exactly what happened here. The 300 SLR was based on the U.S. market 300 SL Gullwing, but was much lighter due to the use of a tubular aluminum frame. The 300 SLR was the first race car to use air brakes and was the car of choice for legendary racer Stirling Moss when he competed in the 1955 Mille Miglia, which he won in record-setting fashion. The 300 SLR is being celebrated this year with a limited edition watch from TAG Heuer, and represents the pinnacle of classic Mercedes-Benz design and engineering.