In 1952, the W194 took part in the most important races of the year. The new SL competed in the Mille Miglia at the beginning of May and achieved second place. It won the top three places at the Bern Sports Car Prize . At the 24-hour race at Le Mans, the 300 SL won the top two places. First place went to Hermann Lang and Fritz Riess with an overall average , they achieved a new record in Le Mans history. Second place went to Theo Helfrich and Helmut Niedermayr. A race at the Nürburgring ended with a four-fold success. At the Carrera Panamericana in Mexico, the 300 SL again won with Karl Kling and Hans Klenk – despite having a vulture flying through the windscreen.