1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing
Chassis no. 198.040.5500771
Engine no. 198.980.5500295

"When it was first announced by Mercedes-Benz, the production 300 SL Coupé was a startling car built to the German concern's customarily startling standards, but above all what left the general public most open-mouthed about the new car was its upward-opening Gullwing doors...!" - Motors, 1963.
Mercedes-Benz returned to post-war competition in 1952, fielding two of its new 300 SL (W194) sports cars in the Mille Miglia. The pair finishing a creditable 2nd and 4th overall in this most difficult of events and this promising start was followed up by a win in the challenging Carrera Panamericana. The works first raced the 300 SL (Sport Leicht) in open form, but for the Le Mans 24-Hour Race in June a trio of 'Gullwing'-doored coupés was entered. High sills were a feature of the multi-tubular spaceframe chassis, and while access was not a problem of the open car, the coupé bodywork required innovative thinking - hence the Gullwing doors. Karl Kling and Hans Klenk duly brought their 'Silver Arrow' home in first place and the 300 SL was on its way to becoming part of motor sporting legend.
The 300 SL had not been planned for volume production, and it took Max Hoffman, Mercedes-Benz's US importer, to convince the factory bosses that sufficient demand existed to make it viable. The fact that Hoffman placed an order for 1,000 cars must have helped. Given that the model was first and foremost intended for the USA, the 300 SL was launched at the New York International Auto Show, rather than at the hitherto preferred Frankfurt or Geneva shows.

Introduced in 1954, the production 300 SL retained the spaceframe chassis and lightweight aluminium-alloy bodywork of the W194 racer while its mechanical underpinnings, like the latter's, owed much to the contemporary Mercedes-Benz 300 luxury saloon. A 2,996cc overhead-camshaft inline six, the 300 SL's engine was canted at 45 degrees to achieve a low bonnet line and produced 215bhp (DIN) at 5,800rpm using Bosch mechanical fuel injection. A four-speed, all-synchromesh manual gearbox transmitted power to the hypoid bevel rear axle. Suspension was independent all round: by wishbones and coil springs at the front, with swing axles and coil springs at the rear.

A production 300 SL (W198) was tested by Road & Track magazine in 1955, accelerating from 0-100km/h in 7.4 seconds on its way to a top speed of 225km/h. Half expecting the long-awaited 300 SL to provide an anti-climax, R&T were delighted to find the new car, 'far beyond our wildest expectations. In fact, we can state unequivocally that in our opinion the 300 SL coupé is the ultimate in an all-round sportscar. It combines more desirable features in one streamlined package than we ever imagined or hoped would be possible. Performance? It accelerates from a dead start to 100mph in just over 17 seconds. Dual purpose? A production model 300 SL can make a very acceptable showing in any type of sportscar competition. Yet the car is extremely tractable and easy to drive in traffic. Comfort? The fully enclosed 300 SL is the most comfortable (and safe) high-speed 'cross-country' car built today.'
A 300 SL roadster featuring conventional doors was first exhibited at the Geneva Salon in May 1957 and, although built in greater numbers, has never matched the immortal Gullwing for desirability. Its racing parentage notwithstanding, the 300 SL remains a thoroughly practical car, as civilised in city traffic as it is exhilarating on the autostrada. By the time 300 SL Coupé production ceased in 1957, some 1,400 examples had found customers. Today the model is both rare and most sought after by connoisseurs of fine automobiles.

This particular Gullwing was completed at the factory on 10th January 1955. The car was ordered in the gorgeous shade of red (DB 534) over a black (953) interior. The car's early years are undocumented, but records suggest that this Gullwing was raced right from the start, as it was shipped back to Stuttgart in the 1960s where it received a new aluminium engine complete with sports camshaft (invoice on file). Many years later, in November 1978, the car was advertised in Hemmings Motor News for sale at $30,000, completely restored in Fire Engine Red with black interior and only 13,000 miles on the new aluminium motor. Mr John Olson, editor and publisher of the SL Market Letter in Minneapolis, Minnesota, snapped up the car and a new era began.
In 1982, Olson entered the car in the 3,000-mile Four Ball Rally from Boston to San Diego. Apparently averaging a 'sedate' 65mph, the 27-year-old classic (the oldest car in the field) finished in 47 hours. The following year the 300 SL came in 3rd in the Coast to Coast Cannonball, a strenuous feat which resulted in Olson having the Gullwing overhauled in April 1984 under the watchful eye of Paul Russell at Gullwing Service Co in Essex, Massachusetts. With all systems fully overhauled, it was time to return to the racetrack.
In 1986, Olson drove the car to 2nd place in a field of 30 300 SLs at Laguna Seca, and then attended the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, which was honouring the Mercedes-Benz marque that year. In his final competitive outing, Olson entered his Gullwing in the 1987 Mille Miglia and upon completion extended his European tour in Stuttgart where he presented the car at the annual Mercedes meeting. Finally, Olson decided it was time to retire from racing and in 1988 reluctantly sold the car to Alex Dearborn of Topfield, Massachusetts. In Olson's hand-written letter (on file) he tells Dearborn that over the past decade over $35,000 was spent on the mechanicals to draw out the car's 'guts and vinegar'. He goes on to say, "This car has soul, but don't be afraid of it. The harder you drive it, the more it loves you".

Dearborn immediately put this advice to the test and drove the Gullwing to 1st place overall at the Road America 300 SL Grand Prix in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The following year the car was treated to a repaint, again in Fire Engine Red, and was re-detailed, before entering the Historic Exhibition Race at Lime Rock, Connecticut, in 1989. According to magazine clippings, Dearborn and his Gullwing led the field for most of the race, but was out-manoeuvred towards the end by another Gullwing driven by Joe Tompkin. Crowds at the finish line erupted at the Mercedes one-two finish, reminiscent of the team victories celebrated by the factory race teams of the 1950s.
In 1990, Dearborn sold the car to a major East Coast collection. Never raced again, the Gullwing was routinely maintained and carefully stored by the collector and owner, keeping it in excellent condition. 'The paint is very good for a car restored almost 40 years ago, the engine bay is clean and tidy, and the interior exhibits a comfortable patina of careful use.' The Gullwing remains in similarly good condition today. There can be few 300 SL Gullwings with as much racing history as this one, which has to be all the more desirable for having been fitted by the factory - in period - with the highly desirable lightweight aluminium engine.

Accompanying the car is an extensive portfolio of documentation: race history, advertisements, a large number of period photos (including the car on the Mille Miglia 1989), judging record sheets, service invoices, hand-written correspondence and clippings from several magazines including Victory Lane and Vintage Motorsports. Maps of racing routes and photographs of the car en route add important historical background and colour to this extraordinary Gullwing's racing history. The car comes with Danish registration documents and we're informed by the vendor that the car, still today, is a magnificent driver car performing extremely well.

This car has it all: it is collectible, highly desirable, and a legendary Mercedes-Benz. It is beautiful, iconic, and ready for its next owner to enjoy.