Lot 323: 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was conceived as a sports-racer rather than a sports car, first proving its mettle on the track before the production model appeared, and it went on to notch up an impressive number of competition successes. It all began with a small number of racing SL prototypes built in 1952 which won, amongst other great races, that year's Le Mans 24 Hours and the marathon Carrera Panamericana. As the Stuttgart concern's first post-war competition car the 300 SL combined suspension and running gear from the then new 300 series production models with a light, multi-tube spaceframe chassis carrying special coupé bodywork. Full-height side opening doors would have compromised rigidity in the high-sided chassis so half-height doors, hinged at the roof centre to lift upward, were developed for the car and the famous 'gullwing' design was born. A 3.0 litre straight six cylinder, the 300 SL's engine used dry sump lubrication and Bosch mechanical fuel injection, the latter a world first for a production car. It was also one of the most potent engines of its day, providing top speeds of 130 to 165mph depending on gearing. The car's advanced chassis design ensured great strength and safety whilst providing fine handling thanks to its light weight. An interesting Gullwing feature was the steering wheel hinged at the base of its hub to tilt almost upside down, thus easing driver entry/exit. Its overall styling hardly needs comment, except to note that it was much lower and sleeker than that of contemporary sports cars. Distinguishing features such as the big tri-star grille emblem, wheelarch 'eyebrows' and 'egg crate' front wing louvres adorned the body, while the purposeful interior was somewhat reminiscent of a Messerschmitt fighter plane! The exclusive 300SL - just 1,400 coupes were built between 1954 and 1957 and 1,858 convertibles between 1957 to 1958 - also cost a fortune: £5,600 for the Gullwing in 1954 against £1,400 for a Jaguar XK120, but excellence is never cheap, and the SLs were magnificent: solid, handsome and very fast. In fact, nothing could outpace them for years except for the occasional Ferrari, which was hardly a 'production' car in those days. The 300 SL won more competitions in its time than virtually any other car since. There are far too many victories to list here; suffice to say that no other manufacturer could field a car that could combine such speed, reliability and all round ability as the 300 SL, which allowed it to excel in events as varied as the Targa Florio, Mille Miglia and at Le Mans. Chassis 5500874 was delivered new to America in 1955, one of approximately 800 gullwing coupes made in that year, the most prolific in the production of the cars. It remained in America for virtually all of its life and for a number of years formed part of the Kemp Auto Museum in St. Louis, Missouri, a world famous facility and one of the largest private collections of Mercedes-Benz automobiles in the world. The museum, started by Fred Kemp, boasts a 23,000 foot display gallery, but is also very highly regarded for its academic work relating to the motoring exhibits on display. Alongside the museum is its famous restoration facility, where the museum's exhibits are restored as part of the ongoing research and education programme which is so much part of the Kemp Museum project. The Gullwing on offer here, which only came to Great Britain in 2007, was restored from the 'chassis up' by the Mercedes-Benz specialists at the Kemp restoration facility, and represents one of the finest examples of its type. As this 300 SL was restored in-house by the museum, it is a certainty that absolutely every item incorporated into the work is absolutely museum-quality correct, and the workmanship on this car is second to none. There can be few such opportunities to buy a 'chassis up' restored Gullwing Mercedes-Benz of true and genuine museum quality.Dieser 300 SL Flgeltrer mit der Fahrgestellnummer 5500874 wurde im Jahre 1955 gebaut und nach Amerika exportiert, wo dieser Wagen die meiste Zeit verbrachte. Lange Zeit war er Exponat in dem berhmten Kemp Auto Museum in St. Louis, Missouri, eine der gr?ten Sammlungen klassischer Mercedes-Benz in der Welt. Das Museum, von Fred Kemp gegrndet, ist nicht nur fr die Qualitt seiner Ausstellungsobjekte sondern auch sein Dokumentations- und Restaurierungszentrum bekannt. Dieser Flgeltrer kam erst im Jahre 2007 nach England und wurde noch von den Spezialisten vom Kemp-Museum vom Chassis an restauriert und es kann davon ausgegangen werden, da? jedes restaurierte Teil dem Original entspricht und durch seine "Museumsqualitt" besticht.