|
Overview
 This
magnificent machine is the true parent to all of Mercedes
high performance postwar open-air roadsters. The SLS’
life started as a competition 300SL Gullwing in 1952, and
it placed second at Le Mans that year. Then, in the mid-1950s
when Mercedes management decided to make an open version of
the model, the retired racecar became the development mule.
The resulting 300SLS was made in complete secrecy, and first
broke cover in the fall of 1956 in Collier’s, an upscale
periodical. The author and photographer was David Douglas
Duncan, and he titled his piece "The Secret SLS."
Some five decades later very few Mercedes’ enthusiasts
know if the car’s existence, so "The Secret SLS"
became the perfect title for this monograph.
The pages illustrated here represent just a small sampling
of the monograph’s scope and focus.
The Inspiration
 The
300SLS is a one-off that very few people know about. Scott
Grundfor, the car’s caretaker, saw our monograph on the
Lamborghini Miura and knew have one made on the SLS was the
ideal way to convey the unique roadster’s place in Mercedes
history to those who needed to know. He showed a copy of the
Miura monograph to the SLS’ owner, and "The Secret
SLS" was commissioned.
Grundfor instructed Goodfellow to research and write
the book as he saw best. During that multi-month period, Goodfellow
came to realize this single machine was the starting point
for the 500,000+ Mercedes roadsters that followed. In short,
the current generation of SL’s, the R129 (all SL models
made from 1989-2002), R107 (SL’s from 1971-1989), W113
(SL’s from 1963-1971) and the W198 (the production 300SL
Roadster of 1957-1963) all owe their existence to this one
car.
The Monograph
 This
masterwork was the designed and produced to convey this unique
Mercedes’ incredible heritage. The monograph, which took
more than a year to make, contains two fabulous shoots on
the SLS–one alone, one with the current SL55. In addition
to the SL55, the author and photographer also shot a production
300SL Roadster, 280SL, 450SL, two generations of 500SL’s
and the current 500SL.
The sharply written, insightful text reveals the car’s
history from Day One to present. It delves into the birth
of the 300SL Gullwing, the men behind that immortal car, and
Mercedes’ incredible comeback from the ruins of war.
The SLS’ was an integral part in Mercedes world championship
season in 1952, and three years later by happenstance it started
a second career as the prototype for the 300SL roadster. The
SLS’ development is looked at in great detail, thanks
to access to period memos that still existed in Mercedes’
archive. The text concludes by examining the car today and
the Pebble Beach winning restoration it had in the 1990s.
The photography is exquisite. "This was one of my
two best shoots in 2002," says Goodfellow. "What
amazed me was once I started photographing the SLS, its beauty
came to the fore in a big way. Every body panel on it is different
from the production 300SL Roadster, and this shape is as alluring
and seductive as anything the Italians made at the time."
The SLS was photographed in great detail. The background
was specifically chosen so the Mercedes is seen as art, a
true piece of rolling sculpture. As if to emphasize this last
point, a number of the plates (photographs) are of the car
in motion.
Period photographs beautifully supplement Goodfellow’s
memorable images. A number of historic photos show the SLS
inside Mercedes and undergoing development testing. Period
black and white photos and color brochures also give the monograph
a rich sense of history.
The monograph has 96 pages with 90 photographs, and measures
10 1/2" x 10 1/2". It is printed with 4-color process
on all pages, and has a hard cover with bonded leather. The
monograph was assembled by hand, and the binding is hand-stitched.
In his column in the September 2003 issue of Car Collector,
editor Dennis Adler states "Goodfellow delivers a brilliant
treatise not only on the car and the men responsible for it,
but the roll it played in the evolution of the SL convertibles
from 1956 to the present day. A combination of historical
photos…and Goodfellow’s award-winning photography
make this both a literary and visual treat."
Mercedes-Benz SL’s photographed for this monograph are:
- 1955 300SLS chassis 842719811/1
- 1959 300SL Roadster
- 1969 280SL
- 1978 450SL
- 1990 500SL
- 1995 500SL
- 2003 500SL
- 2003 SL55
The Edition
 "The
Secret SLS" was made in two numbered, limited editions.
The first was 100 copies, which went to the commissioning
client. The second was limited to just 15, and are hand-signed
Author’s Proof copies.
The Author’s Proof copies are different from the commissioning
client’s. The latter have a leatherbound cover with a
hand-tipped photo in the center while the Author’s Proof
copies have a handsome dust jacket that is a bleed photo of
the SLS and the SL55; this image may be found on this site
(click here to view?; needs to be posted). The dark blue hardbound,
leather cover has the title in de-bossed gold print, and the
title is repeated on the monograph’s spine.
A total of nine of the Author’s Proof copies are offered
for sale; all are numbered in the text on the frontispiece
using variable imaging technology. The price for these collectibles
will increase as the edition sells. Pricing for the edition
is:
Numbers 1 through 4–$350; Sold Out
Numbers 5 and 6–$475; Sold Out
Number 7–$600
Number 8–$775
Number 9–$950
For the person who covets the ultimate in handmade Mercedes,
automotive or photographic collectibles, "The Secret
SLS" is it! The pages illustrated here represents just
a small sampling of the monograph’s scope and focus.
To order call 1-800-781-2787 |
