Renowned photographer RENÉ STAUD and author JÜRGEN LEWANDOWSKI pay homage to seventy years of the Mercedes 300 SL…
From the 1952 prototype to the present day Mercedes-AMG SL63, car enthusiasts and experts René Staud and Jürgen Lewandowski have teamed up again to cover all seven generations of the 300 SL in their latest volume Mercedes Benz: The 300 SL Book. And with over 200 images, who better to stage the parade of pioneering automobiles than René Staud, whose atmospheric recordings inspire every car lover. The combination of Staud’s artistically-staged photos and Jürgen’s impressive attention to detail, gives readers an all-encompassing perspective of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL.
Based on Staud’s successful calendars, this 272-page offering is an ode to an extraordinary vehicle, whose spell stars such as Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Alfred Hitchcock have all fallen for. Inside, the audience can also learn all about the 70-year history and evolution of the “sports car of the century” as Staud’s imagery showcases its sweeping curves and precision in every detail, whilst conveying the passion for a truly breathtaking automobile. Any and all car enthusiasts know just how iconic the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL but we’ll let René Staud explain just how much, in his own words from his new book. Read on…
SL PASSION by René Staud
For me, the 300 SL – and the SL model series along with it – is much more than just an automobile. I have had a long relationship with this sports car classic, starting with the model designation.
Although the combination of letters is often interpreted as an abbreviation for “speed” or “sport” and “light” or “luxury,” for me it also has a very different meaning. SL stands for two important cornerstones of my personal biography, specifically my name and the place of my creative work: Staud Leonberg.
I spontaneously began to develop a tremendous passion for this automotive icon, starting with the original models from 1952 and the first gullwing models from 1954, and continuing through the ’57 Roadster and on to all the successor models and derivatives. In 2022, after 70 years, a new and possibly the most exciting SL series was launched with the Mercedes-AMG SL 55 and SL 63. Sometimes it takes 70 years for a good idea to become a true masterpiece. While you should not overdo it with drawing parallels between cars and people, now that I’ve reached the age of 70, I venture to say that I, too, have matured somewhat and yet have not gone out of style.
Back to my love, to what is arguably the most famous SL: the 300 from the 1950s. In 1988, Mercedes-Benz Design commissioned me to photograph it for Bruno Sacco and Johann Tomforde, as a style and image concept study for the forthcoming model change from the 107 to the R129.
My general knowledge had taught me that there are significant differences between a coupé and a roadster. Yet during my numerous experiments to find the style of the image concept for the R129, I was able to discover and learn even more. This resulted in some unique images of the car’s progenitors, and some of the experimental photographs were used in the global communications for the R129.
The Holy Grail. As any car collector, antique car dealer or auctioneer will tell you, the 300 SLR Roadster with the starting number 722 would be the most expensive car in the world – if, that is, Mercedes-Benz were to agree to sell the racer
What remained were numerous images that were far too original to be consigned to the archives. As a result, I decided to produce a calendar: the now legendary 300 SL calendar, which has become the flagship for me and the photographic possibilities at Staud Studios Leonberg for 25 years in a row.
Needless to say, it was almost a foregone conclusion that a book would follow the 25th calendar. With the first edition of The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Book in 2012, teNeues Verlag put the crown on the calendar project – thus creating a monument to the SL family that was as worthy as it was successful. This was also thanks to the outstanding texts by my long-time colleague Jürgen Lewandowski.
And now this new work has achieved a dual purpose: the new icons from Affalterbach, the Mercedes-AMG SL 55 and SL 63, and the new edition of the book with new photographic creations of these and other models. What a stroke of fate: 70 years of the SL, 70 years of Staud and 10 years of The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Book. You might even say: The star is reborn. ■
The completely revised bestseller THE MERCEDES-BENZ: 300 SL BOOK by René Staud and Jürgen Lewandowski, from teNeues Publishing, is now available on Amazon
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