In today's world of high-priced luxury automobiles, Mercedes is one of the most well-known and sought after brands around. This isn't anything new for Mercedes, though; this auto brand has been developing and releasing luxury automobiles for decades. The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gull-wing is one of the manufacturer's best examples and one of their most loved models.

Long before this unique two-seater coupe was a collector's item worth a small fortune, the Benz 300SL was introduced in 1954 as more of a racecar-like automobile for high-speed motor enthusiasts and those already familiar with the brand of luxury Mercedes released. It wasn't an automobile put out there for mass appeal, to say the least.

At the time of its release, this unique gull-wing (think similar to today's Lamborghini doors) was the fastest production car on the road. It was basically a fuel-injected replica of the Mercedes-Benz 300SL competition sports car released in 1952.

The road-legal 300SL was built by Daimler-Benz AG and was suggested by Max Hoffman to give the Chevy and Ford-loving Americans - the big spenders on automobiles at the time - something to pique their interests. So, to properly market the automobile, it was introduced at the New York Auto Show in 1954.

Mercedes' 300SL boasted a lot of "firsts" in terms of sports couples. Not only were the gull-wing doors distinctive, but it was also the first gasoline-driven car to use a fuel-injection engine. 1954's show car became the 1955 release - still the most popular among 300SL enthusiasts and Mercedes' lovers in general.

Ironically, Mercedes spent so much time redesigning a race car to be a road car that they actually let their "comfort" label lapse slightly. The sill of the 300SL was high for a coupe and made entering or exiting the automobile a little tough for some. It was also a bit heavier than what most motorists intended, constructed primarily of steel with only an aluminum hood and doors.

There was an all-aluminum model available, but the cost of this was significantly higher than the steel version.

Out of the 1400-plus 300SLs produced, over 1000 were sent to the US to be sold. This model instantly changed what Americans thought about Mercedes-Benz and it allowed Mercedes to sell future models in the states without issue.

The 1955 300SL could reach a top speed of 161 miles per hour, easily making it the fastest thing on the road for that year. Its engine wasn't very impressive, but the gear ratio and fuel injection features were adding a lot of extra power to the overall car.

Mercedes-Benz used a basic 3.0 liter straight-6 in their two-seat coupe version - the exact same engine they put into their four-door models. Also, unfortunately for owners, the fuel injection system required a good bit of maintenance.

Overall, the 300SL was a little problematic for its time, but was still extremely popular then and even more so today.