A Mercedes-Benz with a Tesla engine? Why would anybody do that? Mercedes has so many electric models in its lineup right now, all tagged as EQs. Well, yes, but not the legendary Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing. A California-based startup is to blame for the restomod that mixes a Tesla Model 3 and a 300 SL.
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing was a race car for the road. In the mid-1950s, it was this insane two-seat coupe, based on the W194 racing car, featuring a tubular-frame construction and sporting the head-turning gullwing doors opening upwards.
The car industry had never seen anything like that before. It was light, it was fast, and it had a design that shot it straight to the list of the world's most beautiful cars ever made.
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing was powered by the 3.0-liter M198 straight-six engine, mated to a four-speed manual box, producing 222 horsepower (215 metric horsepower) and 202 pound-feet (274 Newton meters) of torque, pushing it all the way to a top speed of 134 mph (217 kph). The engine had to pull a lightweight structure, weighing only 3,300 pounds (1,500 kilograms).
Long gone is now that 3.0-liter straight-six, which made the Mercedes act like a true sports car, as it has been replaced by an electric motor. To turn the iconic 300 SL Gullwing into a restomodded EV, the S-Klub team bought a perfectly functional Tesla Model 3, chopped off the body, squeezed it a little bit, and put the Mercedes body on top of it.
Now, the Benz is practically a Tesla in disguise. Even the camera and sensors of the electric sedan work on the newly built body. The gullwing doors will pop open like they normally do to reveal a striking space.
That cabin has nothing to do with the style and elegance of the legendary Mercedes. The slim steering wheel and refined dashboard of the Benz have been replaced by the no-button, no-switch, no-nothing of the Model 3. All functions are controlled via the massive 15-inch touchscreen.
The team took approximately two months to get to this stage, with working hours stretching all the way to midnight to get the project done. Next up is painting. The team chose the shade from the Model 3 as well, a shining Pearl White.
Then they wrapped the seat and dashboard and pretty much everything inside in Tiffany Blue, which is a bright shade of turquoise, spectacularly contrasting with the Pearl White and turning it into the perfect ride for a drive along the coast of the Pacific Ocean.
The turquoise inside matches the strip stretching along the hood, roof, and trunk lid, as well as the brake calipers. The model rides on white 18-inch wheels with Toyo tires.
Looking like this and being called the Tiffany 300 SL, the Tesla-Benz mix was on display at the SEMA 2023 in Las Vegas. The project was supervised by John Sarkisyan, CEO of S-Klub.
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