Ultra-Rare Alloy Bodied 300 SL Gullwing Heads to Auction Block
Mercedes-Benz produced around 1,400 300 SL Gullwing sports cars, but this 1955 model is something more special.
Racing returned to Europe shortly after World War II. Grand Prix races and events like Le Mans and the Mille-Miglia ignited old rivalries and kindled new ones. The fight between Jaguar and Ferrari spilled into the streets as both automakers sought to turn race victories into sales. Eager to reclaim their pre-war reputation, Mercedes-Benz launched themselves into this fray. Determined to build the most advanced sports car in the world, they launched the W194 series 300 SL in 1952.
The car was an immediate success, placing second in the Mille-Miglia. Following that outing it dominated its next four races. It took first, second, and third at the Bern Prize for Sports Car. At the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans it placed first and second. Then it occupied the top four spots at the Jubilee Grand Prix for sports cars at the Nürburgring. And finally another one-two victory at the Carrera Panamericana, where not even a collision with a vulture could stop it.
Mercedes-Benz followed the W194 with the W198. Applying the lessons from the success of the W194, the new car included a more powerful fuel-injected engine and improved aerodynamics. But then Mercedes decided to focus its efforts on Formula One and shelved the W198. Seeing an opportunity for the U.S. market, Max Hoffman persuaded Mercedes to produce a road version of the 300 SL.
Mercedes-Benz made a few modifications to the 300 SL but kept the lightweight spaceframe. Keeping the spaceframe meant the car needed to retain the unique doors that opened up over the roof. It’s because of these top-hinged doors that the car got its name, the Gullwing.
The 300 SL went off like a bomb at the 1954 New York Auto Show. Compared to the chrome laden cars of that era, it came from another planet. Low slung and streamlined, it looked fast. And it had the speed to back up its looks.
The 3.0 liter M198 straight-six engine, combined with the lightweight, streamlined body, made it the fastest car in the world. Most importantly, it made Mercedes-Benz’s reputation in the U.S. market. Of the 1,400 300 SL Gullwing cars produced, the majority found homes in the New World.
In addition to the regular cars, Mercedes-Benz built 29 alloy-bodied 300 SLs. Based off the original W198 race car, these cars found their way into the hands of private racers.
The high performance, fuel injected NSL engines produced 235 horsepower. Less power than Jaguar or Ferrari engines, but less temperamental and more durable as well.
And the lightweight body more than made up for any power deficit. Other enhancements included beefed-up suspensions and vented drum brakes for endurance racing. And sixteen inch Rudge knock-off wheels and plexiglass windows provided further weight reduction.
These alloy bodied Gullwings don’t just represent the pinnacle of the early Mercedes-Benz 300 SLs. They are among the most advanced cars of that era, and perhaps the most important cars to ever wear the three-pointed star. Without these Gullwings, Mercedes wouldn’t have a sports car legacy.
Cars like the AMG GT or modern SLS would not exist. And cars like the DeLorean and Pagani would have boring, regular doors. Look at any list of the best cars of the 20th century and the 300SL Gullwing is usually in the top-10, if not the top-five.
The Gullwing featured in these pictures is the 13th of 24 built in 1955. First delivered to an owner in Morocco, it made its way to the United States and a new owner in 1962.
The car changed hands again in 1975. It then underwent an extensive restoration by Paul Russell and Company in Essex, Massachusetts. The restoration cost over $45,000 in 1975. An incredible sum of money for that time, it’s equivalent to spending almost $180,000 today.
But $180,000 or even $1.8 million spent restoring this car would be a reasonable investment. Regular 300 SL Gullwings turn up occasionally on Bring A Trailer, selling for just over a million dollars. But Alloy bodied Gullwings rarely turn up for sale. And when they do, like this one at RM Sothbey’s, they command prices in the $5 to $10 million dollar range.
Photos: Karissa Hosek /RM Sotheby’s
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