Final Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing to be auctioned

The last Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing will be offered at RM Sotheby's Auction in Las Vegas.

Scheduled to be auctioned on November 22, the Gullwing is the last of 1,400 built between 1954 and 1957. According to the auction listing, this is based on the chassis number (7500079) and completion date (May 15, 1957).

The last Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing (image by RM Sotheby's)

Finished in Fire Engine Red with a creme leather interior, it was displayed at the Mercedes booth at the Poznan International Trade Fair in June 1957. It was then sent to the U.S. for sale on September 27, 1957.

The car has had only four owners since new, and the current owner has owned the car for over 25 years, notes RM Sotheby's. The engine, transmission, body, and front axle are numbers matching, and mechanically the car is virtually original. The rear axle is also believed to be original, but the factory data card does not confirm this.

Designed as a race car, the 300SL Gullwing utilized a tube frame chassis for maximum rigidity while minimizing weight. This necessitated the doors that gave the car its name, as the thick sills of the chassis did not allow for sufficient opening with conventional doors. Early models were pure racing cars, but Mercedes gradually adapted the SL Gullwing to road cars, with encouragement from American importer Max Hoffman.

RM Sotheby's estimates that the final Gullwing will sell for between $2.5 and $3.5 million. One of the cars just sold for $9.35 million in unrestored condition as part of Rudy Klein's junkyard collection.