Even if it left something to be desired on the comfort front the legendary reputation of this car opened the doors for the flamboyant to go away in construction. Today the cars a highly coveted rarity each model is worth a fortune plays. The lead. In. The village of polling in southern germany as a kind of gilgamesh site for those fascinated by the mercedes 300 s. L. Tomsk leisel runs a specialized workshop on the grounds of a former monastery he restores and services 300. 00 s. Cells for the wealthy owners from around the world. For clothes sold its a labor of love. Hes restored more cells than anyone else. When the car 1st hit the market in 1950. For there was simply nothing like it although back then the car was from a different planet in 954. 00 a v. W. Bug could only just hit the 100 Kilometers Per Hour and opel maybe 110 a porsche 160 and this car did 250 from 50. Spectacular door design earned to 300 s. L. The nickname of gold wing. Just 1400 units were produced with the signature doors they were followed by more than 1800 s. L. Mode stories the convertible version. Has the make up of the hi im always been fascinated by the contouring on the design i still remember the 1st time i saw one but something happened to me that defined my later life. But theres a little distance that. Intriguingly the gullwing doors were not the result of some ingenious futuristic Design Concept they were actually more of a stopgap solution in order to allow the racing chassis to be used for a sports car. As it is it to these doors were born out of necessity this body part here is so hard because it has a very special lightweight frame construction under it in order to allow people to get in and out relatively comfortably the door opening had to be enlarged all the way up to the roof this is so it wasnt a design idea as such but a constructional necessity. I think. As great as the car may luck getting into it requires a minor feat of acrobatics that only those in the know have mastered. The urge to sit on the side of. The cars are now around 70 years old theyre in such demands that the market value increases on average by 500 euros a day. The specialists are close allies workshop to do everything they can to preserve the unique aura of the stunning sports cars. So how did it all begin. The story behind their savings decision to design such a futuristic model in the 1950 s. Can be pieced together at the car makers archives in felt not far from Company Headquarters synched up cart. Before the 300 s. L. Went into production there were a series of prototypes racing cars that over 70 years ago dominated motor Sports Events all over the world refining the tradition of the mercedes. Silver. Impounding quickly build up a legendary reputation as our kind of director your convict explains. They are in for good reputation was founded in the early fiftys especially in 1952 by the prototypes. They clocked up a series of big wins at le mondes for example and the career of pan americana in mexico. And of course there was plenty of Media Coverage would almost be played in the media believed to. Lead the country a 3rd career of pan americana the road race that takes place all across mexico in 8 stages over a 5 day march theyve been taking part in this challenging race for the 1st time with its new 300 f l. Riders have to draw on all their skills on these Mountain Road the continental tires are subjected to extremely demanding task. In the rain 100 f. L. Compete with incredible precision here cooling races around the back of. The german wonder cars are now that center of attention. Now calling an airman long score a wonderful double victory for germany and for Mercedes Benz kling is the celebrated victor of the 3rd corrupt an americano across mexico mexico. It was a victory that ignited enthusiasm for mercedes racing cars in the u. S. And lead to a completely new kind of production car you go post on it with your cds drew up its 1st plans for the 300 s. Sound including a construction drawing on a 1. 00 to 1. 00 scale. The original blueprint for the design of the body because the kids paint was developed above all for the u. S. Market to deal. With. The new york based car imported named max hoffman had urged mercedes to prepare the car for volume production it returned home from an promise to purchase at least 1000 units for the american market. It was in town so when did you know your going to eat more or less convinced the management to get the presentation at the motor show. New york took care of the rest. It was simply an ingenious blueprint it had such an aura that it stood out from Everything Else on the market at the time. I as a result most of the 300. 00 s. Ounds ended up in the us the bald styling was a sensation as was the construction to feel their space being held the card together on the inside just as in the princeton car. It was the Something Like frame that gave the cards designation so. This chaotic looking at family is actually a carefully thought out and practical construction the frame of the sports car the frame welded together from then wall steel tubing which translates into low weight and high stability. The production 300 s. L. Is based on the same principle it bears the hallmarks of its bigger and faster brother its good luck and weighs just 80 kilos. Back at hand slices restoration workshop the mechanics roll out one such skeleton chassis. The team of more than 30 specialists have repaired or rebuilt almost every part of the car. Some jobs can take several months even years off the objective is to restore each car to the woods original condition as accurately as possible. But. This one was in pretty bad shape. We had to replace 3 quarters of the bodywork it now has a new out a door panel and a new fender. The more parts you replace the tougher it becomes to get everything to fit together smoothly. Full feather and the other is an old fires and also with a roadster its vital that the roof connects exactly with the window frame without any gaps off the dish i wouldnt pass it up and getting a 300 s. L. Restored can easily cost several 100000 euros and we could but its an investment that usually pays off seeing that well restored models are worth a 1000000 or more but to cases where the majority of the original parts have been retained the value is well beyond that. It is time we can replace any part were missing in the past weve had jobs where the body was completely burnt out and no longer usable he was wrong with them was why dont no way in those cases you have to construct a new body but then youre obliged to tell a potential buyer that the car has largely been rebuilt in the furthest. The work is done by hand often using hard to find materials. The upholstery work alone can be extremely complicated. Thats why 200 hours or more. But after all that work is done the car will look like the original version again. The 300 s. L. Gold wing was built from 1954 to 57 in this intell thing in national guard. Then between 57 and 63 the roadster was produced in both models the Steering Wheel could tilt to make getting in and out of the cockpit easier. Many of the 3. Today cells from this era have been restored to pristine condition and hardly any have been left to rust away. But sometimes just sometimes the class is alerted to such a fine. Hold up and was told to want to be standing around in a scrap yard in the us for the last 45 years i got in touch immediately booked my plane ticket and went over there and it was a pretty bizarre place to get. The socalled scrap yard was in fact run by artists who built sculptures and recreational vehicles from old car parts. Is the shastri of a 300. 00 s. Im behind it all the artists who have no appreciation of what they actually have that they told clumsily bought the chassis for 450. 00. Here you can see parts of the body that are still attached this is the bulkhead they cut away the rest and threw it away because they wanted to turn it into a hole. But those plans were soon forgotten when consul paid more than 300000. 00 to the bewildered seller and took the chance. They can use the money to buy a house or fulfill a lifelong dream so everybodys happy. In addition to restoring 300. 00 s. Ounds comes close also biased and sells them and provides a garage for his clientele when billionaires come to munich he takes their car out of this hall and brings it to the airport ready to drive and in mint condition. In the 1950s it didnt take long for the rich and famous to discover the 300 s. Out. There of lots of movie stars for example the 300. 00 s. L. Was considered one of the top cars of its time which is why so many celebrities wanted to have one sophia loren had her own gullwing edition and there are lots of nice photos of her with it. Then we have a need to act in rome while she was shooting not dog civita. This is youll bryna. Problem for cash who had one of the cars despite not having a drivers license for the loss of the women. And then there was for feeling old to be homeless on a diplomat im one of europes best known playboys of the 50s he was married several times including to the woman worth heiress barbara hutton. But he also enjoyed the company of the likes of Zsa Zsa Gabor and marilyn monroe. But also who some compared to james bond also loved fast cars and was the owner of this 300 s. L. A 6 cylinder 215. 00 horsepower engine made in 300. 00 s. L. Extremely fast and thirsty its fuel consumption was more than 20 liters per 100 kilometers. Not an Environmental Concerns were given much thought back then but it did not feel injection which at the time was quite a sensation. There more toward the fuel if the transfer into the injection. From there it is distributed evenly and injected directly into the individual cylinder. And then. Eager to live with it every 300. 00 s. L. Engine is subjected to hours of testing its torque and output are measured across a range of engine was given. By todays standards its an ingeniously designed and robust unit says every mile in the engine workshop. Although 70 here is due to. Overhauling one of these engines can mean up to 160 hours of work. One of the more time consuming tasks involves boring intoning all 6 cylinders of the 3 liter engine. For many parts spares are no longer available. These components have to be manufactured according to the original designs. Teams ambition is to deliver a car that will run for another 70 years. When these engines produce such a lovely sound ive always been fascinated by the car although sadly i dont have one myself and i had always. This were sadies workshop also restores vintage cars in meticulous detail for museums and wealthy private clients theyre joined by a modern classic which looks like a reinvention of the old 300 s. L. The mercedes and seles m. G. Lets go indoors this edition boasts almost 600 horsepower. And awesome automobile but in terms of charisma miles behind its predecessor from the 1950s. Former racing driver hans hammond followed the development of the 300 s. L. 1st hand from behind the wheel lock you know mills you dont recall if youre 50 or hes fascinated by the classic car in all its restored glory and he just loved to take it back out on the road again even in his ninetys for him its a unique creation you know it will be open to future and influence 70 years ago mercedes dominated motor sports worldwide with the racing versions of the 300. 00 s. L. And hans hammond was lucky enough to be a part of it all in call it visible. You put it all began with a call from mercedes racing manager alfred nor about inviting him on to take a test drive. While the other guy. Iverson vault where established stars have none was a 19 year old rookie. That are more bongos shocked i wonder what annoyed our said they would be going to the new book ring with 3 other drivers as well from the quickest of the 4 would get a place on the team. I was speechless. He then shouted down the phone in this characteristic manner so are you in or not of course i said and one week later we were at the newer board ring i was the quickest driver and was then recruited to the team and you run truck. For hans how man it would be the beginning of a meteoric rise in the motor sports world. And he clearly still has what it takes behind the wheel. Instead of the norm boyd thing for the mom here hes maneuvering the 300. 00 s. L. Around winding country roads out such to start just plenty of fun even at moderate speeds. Recalls how the car turned heads back in the 1950 s. Im a bit hungry later because people gave you funny looks at traffic lights if i think perhaps they were envious 3 or 4 in the italian italy they chopped. Mock you know. What a beautiful car they were just delighted. At the Mercedes Museum benchtop guard the 300 s. Owls are still very much stars of the show. And theyre also why thomas paul mark visits the museum. Keep coming wrote a book about the man who dreamt up the now legendary gullwing to card hold all foolin how to engineer and designer at mercedes it was blue and how to incorporate in the special skeleton energy villar frame from an aircraft construction into the 300 s. Our. Own mark was especially struck by one exhibit here lou and how to paint one of 2 cars created by the visionary designer in 1955. Both are now owned by a mercedes. Didnt learn how to pay is insured for a princely 30000000. 00 euro. Salt so it is. This what makes this automobile special is that to lay people it looks like a gold wing. But its heart is an unadulterated racing engine. It was taken from a formula one car from 1954 modified to result in a road going version with a slightly larger displacement and reduced engine speed. It looks like a production car but its really a thoroughbred racing car. Pulling out was the mild mannered head of mercedes car Testing Department but not on the track he took on aces like hans harriman and he used both well and how to pace for company and family business. Team a concept license restoration workshop tough to take a car to out of the showroom theres always movement in this market. Lets say for the years and 300 s. L. Has been in huge demand to close on those polymers and sellers all over the world and is in Constant Contact with many of them for the public to have a look at the car he has photos and precise facts on practically every surviving model of the sports coupe a. Hes taken the old production data from mercedes and continually updated it over the decades after all he has personally overhauled hundreds of the cars. Nothing much happens in the goal when officiant out of scene that khans class doesnt get wind of. This so nice is a delivery document that you get from a sadies for every vehicle it includes the vehicle Identification Number plus the original color the equipment line and the optional extras which of course comes in handy. For its ambush here it says delivery destination madagascar we restored that 110 years ago 3 of these days you see a lot of swindlers trying their luck on the vintage market they claim to have found a car in europe who are indonesia with an extremely cheap price but they offer 10000. 00 euros in advance to reserve it. This group is almost and sadly people keep falling for it. It was months before. But some give me a call and when i look i can see that the car is not in europe why but in my gary joran a customers. In the garage. Now and then customers park by with less dramatic problems it might be a brake lights or loose contact or a little nick at the costly paint job going to be. Fun finkelstein is a cosmetic surgeon who lives close by he loves his 300 s. L. And naturally he expects it to be in flawless condition. Just listen to him the river this is a pipe. Just dont think its a good and he doesnt just use the car for vintage rallies. But from its i drive it to work as well. As all these cars were built to be driven they shouldnt be an exhibition is waiting to be polished you know its. Time for the good news i love the thrill that these cars exude. And barely a day goes by when i dont enjoy it. No more the one of the mechanics minor problems like those with front finkelsteins car are a Welcome Change from regular restoration work. Fun think in style and bought his roadster 10 years ago for a quarter of a 1000000 euro as its market value has since increased 5 fold prices for 300 s ls have skyrocketed in recent years mirroring the inflation in the fine art world. And it. Has to be said that even the people who see it more as an investment enjoy driving cars like this and do drive. There are many people who just park it somewhere and wait for its market price to increase. I never bought it as an investment although it has given me a better dividend than any shares ive ever bought. What i wanted was to have foreign students and also have the. Professional restart hans plus along the trail never way inside. The league eat he still revels in the privilege of coasting along the country roads at the wheel of his 300. 00 s. L. This is a further special one to the original a belong to a certain color t. V. Long movie it all saw the iconic playboy who drove an iconic car in an iconic arab. Prussias kings used to come here to chill. As being beautifully restored the town is really looking its best now since germanys reunification concept has in its quite the contrary. A day full of beautiful palaces history surprises checking nothing to power. Than 30 minutes on t w. Paris the saudi consulate. A body that will never be found. Connected to the highest levels of government why did journalist Jamal Khashoggi have to die. Who was threatened by this work 2 years later and the reasons are still unclear the case of Jamal Khashoggi. In 75 minutes on t w. Beethoven is for me. Is for. Beethoven is for. Beethoven. Beethoven is for. Beethoven is for everyone. Beethoven 2020. The 50th anniversary here on d w. Every 2 seconds a person does forced to flee their homes nearly 71000000 people have been forcibly displaced and the consequences come into sastra so our documentary series displaced depicts traumatic humanitarian crises around the world you know. What a good thing we dont need and i didnt go to university to kill people. Or to have my boss come to me and tell me to kill someone to get my. If i dont theyll kill me. People feel for their lives and their future so they seek refuge abroad but what will become followers who stay behind and save our people my husband went to peru because of the crisis. That if he hadnt gone there we would have died of hunger anonymous. Just starts october 16th on top. Of this is the w. News live from berlin donald trump is flown to a hospital off the contract in the coronavirus white house man times the u. S. President is suffering only mild symptoms and will spend the next few days at Walter Reed Medical Center as a precautionary measure. And germany mocks the 30th anniversary of reunification 3 decades