Six Decades Later, the ‘World’s First Supercar’ Is Still a Real Charmer

When Road and Track road-tested the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster in 1958, the publication concluded that the model was “a true car with a double soul.”

Even though those words were written nearly six decades ago, they still ring today.

Hailed as the “world’s first supercar,” the 300SL ( Light) was the first production car to use modern fuel injection. The winner of four of its first five races — including victories at Le Mans and the Carrera Panamericana — the 300SL Roadster was blessed with a 0-60 time of seven seconds and could reportedly top out as high as 161 MPH (another first at the time for a production model).

Hailed as being one of the most beautiful Benz models to date and a star of the silver screen, the 300SL was also quite innovative and got its power from a slanted inline six-cylinder that Mercedes had previously stuffed under the hoods of 300-series sedans and limousines.

Mercedes called the 300SL a “symbol of success for the rich and the beautiful of its day and age” which was “for many a dream they were at least able to see and hear every now and then.”

It’s also a dream that’ll likely take about a million bucks to turn into a reality. The car notoriously often sells for six or seven figures. That includes the ‘57 model you see above, a 300SL Roadster model that went for $1,041,596 at a Bonhams auction in Italy over the weekend.