National Automobile Museum, Mulhouse, France
The National Automobile Museum – Schlumpf Collection has decided to create a special space to showcase one of its gems: the Mercedes 300 SL that once belonged to Fritz Schlumpf. Best known for his all-consuming passion for Bugatti and his collection, Fritz Schlumpf was also a lover of contemporary sports cars. He couldn’t pass up the Mercedes 300 SL, an icon of the late 1950s.
The 300 SL is the “road” version of the race car that won the 1952 Carrera Panamericana. It is famous for its “gullwing” doors, a design adopted due to the chassis structure and retained on the production model. With its 3-liter inline-6 engine delivering 240 hp, it exceeds 225 km/h (140 mph), making it the fastest production car of its time. This Mercedes 300 SL was part of the National Automobile Museum’s collection, but it was simply displayed among its contemporaries. For the past few weeks, it has been displayed in a showcase, paying tribute to both the car and its former owner.
We are familiar with the unusual circumstances under which this collection was discovered and the scandalous reputation that subsequently attached itself to the Schlumpf brothers. The situation has since calmed down, and the Schlumpf name, long kept in the shadows, is now associated with the museum’s name. The 300 SL is therefore displayed in an open “showcase,” allowing visitors to walk around the car to explore its details. Photos are projected onto the three walls of the display area, alternating between thumbnails and large-format images. Visitors can see photos of the Mercedes 300 SL from every angle, including technical views, advertisements, sales brochures, and trade show booths, not to mention photos of the original racing version.
On one of the pit’s exterior walls, a large mural depicts Fritz Schlumpf standing next to his 300 SL. Thus, following the 300 SLR, two Mercedes 300 SLs are now featured at the National Automobile Museum in Mulhouse. However, despite their similar names and silhouettes, the 300 SL and the 300 SLR are two very different cars!
The photos on this page belong to Automobile Museums, no right of reproduction without express permission.