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on wings and a prayer

The super-est of super cars, 1950s style

ALONG WITH cars like the Duesenberg SJ and Ferrari  GTO, MercedesBenz’ seminal SL Gullwing has rightly been called an automotive high watermark. Produced from  through , the SL coupe (Gullwing is a nickname not officially recognized at the time) was the roadgoing version of the similar-looking W race car of . The original SL racer cleaned up at Le Mans and in the Carrera Panamericana that year and placed second in the Mille Miglia. Most street Gullwings wear steel body panels over a tubular frame, but  of them are dressed in lighter alloy coachwork. Another breakthrough was mechanical direct fuel injection, one of the keys to the SL’s -horsepower rating, a lot at the time from a .-liter straight-six. The Gullwing is one of the most highly sought collector cars of all time and is, of course, the inspiration for the new SLS AMG that graces this month’s cover, more than  years after the original’s intro. ■

coverage july 1988

Just as with the newest super Ferrari, the  Italia, we were blown away with the twin-turbo V--powered F of two decades ago. A fantasy amalgamation of aluminum, carbon fiber, wings, and speed, the F was scary fast at the time and can still get the job done today. Had the F’s development continued unabated during the subsequent  years, it’s likely the result would resemble the new .

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