300SL Gullwing In Beautiful Shape Fetches Seven Figures
Meticulously restored 1955 300SL Gullwing with only 84,000 miles fetches an eye-watering hammer price well north of $1 million.
We are certainly no strangers to the concept of the iconic W198 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing fetching an insane price at auction. With only 1,400 ever made worldwide, the monumental amount that demand overshadows supply speaks for itself. However, every time one sells, our jaws still have to hit the floor when we see the number. This instance is certainly no exception. In fact, it’s one of the loftiest Gullwing prices we’ve seen. In fact, it even set a record.
This gorgeous green 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing just sold on Bring A Trailer for a whopping $1,465,000. Yes, we assure you that’s the correct amount of numbers. The record we referenced above is indeed the highest price ever fetched by a 300SL on Bring A Trailer, beating out the previous W198 record by over $60,000. That begs the question, though; what does an investment of nearly $1.5 million get this 300SL’s new owner?
Iconic Styling and the Pinnacle of Luxury From a Bygone Era
Aside from the obvious selling point being its rarity, this 300SL brings quite a lot extra to the table. It’s been completely repainted in green with matching wheels, wheel covers, and dashboard trim. Furthermore, the virtually brand new beige interior is to die for. Finally, of course, the iconic flat-folding steering wheel stands out not only for its legendary feature but its cream finish in this particular example.
However, one of the most significant selling points lies under the hood. Its original numbers-matching 3.0-liter M198 inline six-cylinder engine underwent a complete restoration and rebuild in the early 2000s. The mechanically fuel-injected lump was good for an impressive-for-the-time 215 horsepower, which is more power than you get in a brand new A class! The W198 300SL Gullwing truly is representative of the pinnacle of performance and luxury from 1955. Not only just in the case of Mercedes, either. This is a true 50s sports car legend.
It isn’t just the engine that underwent a restoration, though. A trip through the extensive photo collection on the Bring A Trailer listing reveals the remarkable attention to detail throughout this car’s complete restoration process. It truly looks as if no nut or bolt was left unturned. Therefore, to say this vehicle is museum-quality is by no means stretching the truth, considering it underwent its complete restoration by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum staff.
This 300SL Has Heritage.
The sale includes a host of spare parts, a set of belly pans, tools, and even a copy of the factory build sheet. Furthermore, it comes with a whole host of restoration photos, IMS Museum correspondence with previous owners, and a clean Indiana title.
So, while $1.465 Million seems like an insane number, it starts to make a lot more sense when you get into the details of its restoration, matching numbers components, and, of course, its remarkable rarity to begin with. Compared to the recent sale of an even more rare aluminum-body 300SL at an RM Sotheby’s auction to the tune of $6,825,000, this gorgeous green machine looks like a bargain!
Photos: Bring A Trailer