Return to Glory!: The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Racing Car

1952 was one of the most important years in Mercedes-Benz racing history; after a 13-year absence, it returned to motor sport competition with an automobile that rewrote the history of modern sports car racing. The 300 SL’s debut was the culmination of a long, difficult road back to racing for Mercedes-Benz. Return to Glory! vividly depicts the 300 SL’s performance in the five races in which it competed in 1952, and tells the story of how it became the most successful competition sports car of that year. Through dramatic photographs and equally stirring text, one of the greatest years of sports car racing is brought to life--a year filled with automobiles finished in national racing colors, prepared by great factory teams, driven by men who were national sporting idols, and raced under gruelling conditions unique to the age. From its Mille Miglia debut, through the Nürburgring, the Le Mans 24 Hours, to its greatest race - the Carrera Panamericana, the 300 SL’s career from conception to retirement is presented, culminating with a detailed photographic essay illustrating restoration of the oldest 300 SL in existence.

Robert Ackerson lives in Schenevus, NY, a small village near Cooperstown, the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Formerly a public school teacher, he now writes on a wide variety of automotive topics. He is the author of Veloce Publications two-volume history of the Ford F100 and F150 pickup, and new History of the Chrysler 300. His exposure and interest in the CJ Jeep dates back to explorations of old trails in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains with a 1946 CJ-2A