The Ultimate Classic: 1970s Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Expected to Fetch $6.4 Million at Auction

Recently, the world-famous auction house, Sotheby’s, announced the auction of a 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL ‘Alloy Gullwing’. This news immediately caught the attention of car enthusiasts worldwide, as the 300 SL is considered a treasure among classic cars, often fetching prices in the millions of dollars.

With the model code W198, the Mercedes-Benz 300SL was produced in limited numbers: 1,400 coupes from 1954 to 1957 and 1,858 roadsters from 1957 to 1963.

What sets the 300 SL apart is its legendary gullwing “Gullwing” door design. This configuration has been adopted by the German luxury carmaker for many of its modern supercars, including the famous Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.

This particular Mercedes is the only gullwing model with an aluminum body to have left the factory in black Schwarz paint—later repainted silver—and a unique red leather interior.

According to Sotheby’s, this car was once owned by the legendary Luigi Chinetti, an Italian racing driver and three-time Le Mans winner. Chinetti also founded the North American Racing Team (NART) for Ferrari, paving the way for the brand’s supercars to enter the US market. The car was sold by Chinetti to Rudi Klein, an American car collector, in 1976 for $30,000.

After changing hands, the rare supercar was left in Rudi Klein’s Los Angeles warehouse from 1977 until now. Over time, the car has deteriorated significantly, and some original parts, such as the shift knob, tool kit, jack, and spare wheel, have been removed and sold.

In 1981, Klein accidentally backed into the iconic car while driving a forklift, leaving a sizable dent in the rear. However, this incident won’t significantly affect the car’s value, as originality is paramount for car collectors.

The 300 SL Alloy Gullwing is equipped with an upgraded engine producing 240 horsepower, a 20 horsepower increase over the standard inline-six gasoline engine with a single overhead cam. The aluminum version is also approximately 210-240 pounds lighter.

With this powerful engine, the car can reach a top speed of 140 mph and accelerate from 0-60 mph in 7.7 seconds. At its launch, the 300 SL was the fastest production car in the world.

Sotheby’s expects the 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Alloy Gullwing to fetch between $4.5-6 million (approximately 114-150 billion VND) at auction. In the past, a similar configuration sold at Sotheby’s in 2020 for $6.85 million (around 173 billion VND).

Thai Son (Tuoitrethudo)

References: Drive