When I was a lad, the fastest and most exotic car in the known universe was probably the Mercedes 300SL 'Gullwing' and it was a childhood fantasy to drive one some day. When I started as a Staff Writer at Performance Car magazine, a regular monthly slot was reserved for a feature on a classic performance car, and with my interest in classic cars, it was quickly decided that I was the man for the job. Imagine my delight then when my very first assignment was to drive and describe a Gullwing.
On the appointed day (by some quirk of fate it was my birthday) I arrived with a photographer at the address I had been given, deep in the English countryside in Sussex. "Impressive", I thought as we wound our way up the long tree-lined drive. I was even more impressed when we pulled up in front of a very grand residence, the silver 300SL we had come to drive and photograph parked menacingly in the early morning sunlight, and more impressed still when our knock on the door was answered, not by the man we had come to see, but by his male secretary. In earlier times we probably would have described him as a butler!
He informed us that the gentleman of the house was not quite ready to receive us but would do so shortly, and would we mind waiting in an adjoining room. After a short while, he appeared, apologized for keeping us, and informed us that, when he had started the Merc's mighty fuel-injected straight-six engine to warm it up, it had made an alarming noise and sadly, couldn't be used.
My heart sank. I knew that magazine deadlines were crucial, and that there was no time in the monthly production cycle to reschedule, never mind tee up an alternative test. My first assignment, and it was all about to go pear-shaped. "Don't worry though", he continued. "I've arranged for another car to be brought over. It's more or less identical; my man should be arriving at any moment. In the meantime, would you like to see some of my other cars". I almost fainted with relief…
We went through to a courtyard, surrounded by garage doors, and he opened and closed them in turn, revealing all sorts of exotic and desirable cars, the exact details of which I have forgotten. I remember several early MG's, a Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7RS, a couple of Ferraris, and a Rolls-Royce or two. Then came a distinctive snarl of an engine coming up the drive and sure enough, a second 300SL appeared and pulled up right behind the first.
I later learned that the driver, who worked for the owner, was recognized as one of the world's leading authorities on Gullwings. He started the first car, quickly diagnosed a sticky tappet, gave it a couple of good blips, whereupon the noise disappeared, and the car was pronounced healthy.
So there we were with not one but two healthy and virtually identical Gullwings. Which one to take? Well, we did the only thing we could reasonably do: we took them both! So for the rest of the morning we zoomed around in convoy, trying each car in turn, and searching out some suitable photographic locations. What a thrill! You can imagine the reaction of the members of the public we encountered in their Fords and Vauxhalls, as even in 1984, when they were just over twenty years old, Gullwings were a rare sight on the road.
What were they like? Well, 215bhp made them the fastest production car in existence in 1958, but was not that special in 1984. With long-legged gearing allowing a top speed of 150mph+ and with a four-speed gearbox, acceleration was brisk rather than electrifying, although they felt as though they would go for ever. Not sure I would have been game to drive one at very high speed though. I was surprised at how easily the rear wheels would skitter about if you applied just a little too much throttle, even at relatively low speeds. But in their day they were the most outrageously sophisticated vehicles on the road, and the gullwing doors were an absolute sensation of course.
Needless to say it was day that has stuck in my memory for ever...
Art Markus
