Alongside it came the smaller engined 190SL, and the Roadster 300SL came in 1957 to replace the coupe; both were phased out in 1963 to make way for the new 230SL, no longer a road-going racer but a short wheelbase, higher powered derivative of the saloon range, the pattern of years to come -future SLs would be neither Sport nor Light until the arrival of the little SLK.

The 230/250/280SL series, with six-cylinder engines, ran through to 1971. Although 280 and 300SL models would arrive with six-cylinder engines, the new range was mostly V-8 powered from 3.5 litre 350SL to the American market 5.6-litre 560SL and also included longer 2+2 versions as 350 and 450SLC. The latest series started in 1989 with a 300SL six as well as the V-8 500SL; since then, the sixes are split into two models, 280 and 320, with a 6-litre V-12 as the flagship arriving in 1992 - now an SL600 as Mercedes decided to put the class before the capacity in 1994. These are wonderful pieces of engineering for fast comfortable travel in style; the roll-over bar which pops up in the event of an accident is just one example of the design sophistication. The body shape is also very good aerodynamically with a drag factor of 0.31, but this is more for fuel economy than sheer speed.

It is rare to see a Mercedes listed among the fastest production cars, particularly since they, along with BMW, have decided to limit top speeds electronically to 250 km/h (155 mph); however, sometimes the limiter allows a little more and Autocar clocked the the 600SL and the 600SEL at 159 mph. At Mercedes, outright performance is less important than longevity, so the engines have always been relatively unstressed with low bhp/litre figures and maximum speeds have not been as high as the equivalent model BMWs of unlimited days. Even if the limiter is deleted, the cars are unlikely to go much faster as the gearing is now generally chosen for the engine to peak near 250 km/h, which is better for acceleration.

Working out how fast they should go isn't difficult if you start with the 230 bhp SL320 which has been timed at a non-limited 144 mph. Give the same car the 5-litre V-8 with 320 bhp and the theoretical maximum goes to 162 mph. Use the 6-litre V-12 with 394 bhp and theory gives 174 mph which, on present gearing, would ask the engine to do over 6000 rpm. For comparison's sake we have settled for 168 mph as a true indication of the SL600's potential without artificial restriction. The SL500 would be slower in top speed but actually returns very similar acceleration figures as the V-12 version is 10 percent (180 Kg) heavier than the V-8; it is also rather more than 10 percent thirstier in the standard EEC tests. Since both SL500 and SL600 are limited to the same maximum speed and the smaller version is more economical and faster off the mark, why have an SL600? Simply because it represents the pinnacle of Mercedes technology; they may not make the fastest cars in the world but there is nothi ng finer than the ultimate in Mercedes engineering.

Mercedes-Benz, with a racing pedigree that reaches back to the dawn of motoring, has produced a sensational 200 mph roadgoing version of the sports racer it intends to campaign in GT events during the 1997 season.

This is a series that attracts the likes of the Porsche GT1 and the McLaren Fl GTR and the new road car is intended to help Mercedes-Benz shed its refined but rather staid image.

It is hoped that the CLK-GTR will do wonders for the company's appeal among the younger generation of potential purchasers. That is certainly the hope of Jurgen Schrempp, chairman of the firm's Daimler-Benz parent, who is intent on endowing Mercedes-Benz with an enhanced, performance-honed profile. The silver-hued coupe, for which the company has revived the traditional but unofficial Silver Arrow designation, has been developed in conjunction with its Stuttgart-based AMG tuning partner.

The distinctive gull-wing doors are in the spirit of Mercedes-Benz' legendary 300SL coupe of the 1950s. That model featured them because of an innovative spaceframe chassis although this latter-day version has a carbon-fibre hull. Its lines are loosely based on those of the company's new CLK coupe, introduced in the summer of 1997, and aimed foursquare at a market dominated by BMW's Series 3 coupe.

The four distinctive, slightly reclining oval headlights were first seen on a concept coupe that, to the surprise of many, Mercedes-Benz unveiled at the 1993 Geneva Motor Show. This was the first outward manifestation of the company adopting a more distinctive appearance to its magnificently engineered products. The new nose, complete with the traditional Mercedes-Benz radiator daringly inclined, made its production debut on the new E-class cars of 1995.

The company has made great play of the fact that the contours of its nose closely resemble those of its famous 1950s sports racing SLR roadster, so underlining its competition pedigree. These features were subsequently adopted in essence, if not detail, for the smaller CLK coupe but despite their use on the sensational racer tamed for road use, this car was otherwise mechanically unrelated to it.

For while the CLK is powered by a choice of front-mounted, four-cylinder unit or the new V-6 engine, on the GTR power comes from a mid-located, longitudinally-mounted V-12 which, in essence, first appeared in the company's commodious S-Class range introduced in 1991.

This 90 degree V unit, with twin overhead-camshafts per cylinder bank and four valves per cylinder, in 6-litre form developed 389 bhp. But for this stunning two-seater, complete with obligatory rear wing, the engine is enlarged to 6.9-litre and develops no less than 560 bhp. This has been created with input from the British Ilmor Engineering of Brixworth, Northants, a firm that designs and builds racing engines, in which Mercedes-Benz has a financial interest. It is responsible for the V-10 unit that powers the current Formula 1 McLaren-Mercedes racer.

In the GTR it is attached directly to the composite hull and thus has a supporting role. Drive is taken via a six-speed sequential gearbox and the rose-jointed coil and wishbones suspension is bolted directly to it. Dampers are adjustable and the wheels substantial 18-inch diameter units. These mechanicals are cloaked with an impressive Kevlar coupe body which retains the familiar Mercedes-Benz oblong radiator grille and even features the marque's famous tristar mascot.

The cockpit comes complete with an integrated roll cage and is surrounded by energy-absorbing, so called, crash boxes. Both driver's and co-driver's airbags are also fitted, so underlining the car's safety qualities.

The CLK-GTR weighs 1200 kg, and is expected to be capable of reaching 60 mph in a mere 3.5 seconds and have a top speecl in excess of the magic 200 mph.

While Mercedes-Benz is only required under the GT racing rules to produce one example of the CLK-GTR road car, it seems likely that a limited number will be built. Produced over a two-year period for a handful of lucky owners, a figure of 50 is believed to be the most likely estimate. The cost is thought to be well below the $1 million price ceiling laid down by the FIA. The racing version was tested by Bernd Schneider, the 1995 German Touring Car Champion and, as a result, the car made its competition debut at the first round of the GT championship at Hockenheim in April. But despite being on pole position, reliability problems resulted in it finishing in only 27th place. Nevertheless, these are early days and Le Mans beckons . . .

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