The untouchable three pointed stars

Mercedes Benz is one of those untouchable marques steeped in pride and tradition. Today it is renowned for its polished innovation and excellence. It makes cars today that are as desirable as their forebears.

A closer look at these formidable cars reveals that little has changed with Mercedes. A car company that is synonymous with prestige and performance, with a proud and rich heritage.

Federation Square and Melbourne’s architecture was the perfect scene to play host to these beautiful and bold Benzs.

Exquisite detailing. Well-formed design is every conceivable way. The elegant indicators form part of the body work- car makers of today should take note here.

The beautifully detailed indicators belonged to this ‘Adenauer’ 300 Sedan. One of 10, 723 fitted with a 6 cylinder of 2996 cc. Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1951, interestingly it is the last German car to be built on a separate chassis. In true Mercedes fashion and innovation, it had dashboard rear suspension adjustment ability using torsion bars and a servo motor.

Now, this is a car to kill for.

The 300SL was best known for its distinctive gullwing doors. But not many realise that it was the first commercial car to use fuel-injection and in its day had the world’s fastest top speed. The immortal gullwing was built from 1955 to 1957.

Drawing attention like a magnet. The Gullwing transcends generations and is an icon in style and design. On closer look you can really see where the designers of the SLS drew their inspiration.

The red and white combination culminates a trully sumptuous interior. It even smelt unbelievable.

This is a breed and calibre of Mercedes with enough x-factor to interest Lindsay Fox or perhaps even classic car buff Clive Palmer. Engineering perfection behind this masterpiece is a 3.0 litre straight six. Capable of just shy of 270 kilometres per hour- this is the engine that brought world fame to Fangio and Stirling Moss.

Sold alongside the 300SL was its smaller and much more common sibling, the 190SL. It shares a similar look but was powered by a 1.9 litre straight-four SOHC engine, that developed a modest 77 kW.

Produced from 1955 to early 1963. A prototype was first shown at the 1954 New York Auto Show.

The classic interior of this 280SL.

Matched the equally impeccable presentation of the exterior. The 280sl followed the 230sl and 250sl. As the name suggests, it was powered by a 2.8 L M130 engine with 130 kW. Sharp and square took over the organic curves, as the 230 was the car that replaced the Gullwing series.

This 1960 W128 220SE coupe was trully timeless.

One of 470, its powered by a 6 cylinder producing 120bhp @ 6000rpm. Its top speed at 170kph.

The W111 230S ‘fintail’ was a milestone model for car safety with front and rear crumple zones that would absorb energy from impact. Those characteristic tailfins are an intentional marketing ploy for the American market.

Inside, it’s 1960’s at is best. The epitome of a retro interior.

In later models the fins were less pronounced.

This 1997 CL600- 6 litre V12. One of five Australian delivered, its cost an impressive $396,000 when new.

This is the second generation SLK, produced from 2004.

The exterior featured the Formula One-inspired front design.

There’s no prizes for guessing where this power plant is from. For a modern engine it even looks good, helped by minimal use of crappy grey plastic.

The C63 AMG has been a desirable bavarian beast for over 5 years now. Its powered by the 6.2 V8 driving the rears pumping out a effortless 336 kW at 6800rpm and 600 Nm at 5000rpm. When new, these machines were only in reach for the trully affluent. However that is now changing. Driven Threads spotted a few high kilometre 2008 examples for under $80K. The price will continue to fall as luxury cars tend to use the value quicker than Miley Cyrus’ reputation.

With the recent introductions of smaller compact cars in the AMG range. Including the impressive CLA45 AMG with AWD, 2.0T, 265 at 6000rpm and 450 at 5000 rpm. Clearly a new breed of Benz cars are just around the corner. Cars that combine killer looks with fuel economy. In addition to the performance and style that Mercedes is known for. Yes, the three pointed star remains untouchable.

We hope you have enjoyed our contemplative look at the Mercedes cars on display at Federation Square.

Thanks for reading our coverage on Driven Threads.

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