Recently updated on February 23, 2022 at 11:07 am
Derived from the Silver Arrow racing car named W194, which clinched overall victory at the Le Mans 1952 Hours in 24, the 300 SL with the internal factory code W198 is probably the most legendary Mercedes there is. Only 1.400 gullwing coupés with the legendary ones Gullwing Doors were produced until 1958, which makes it a great coincidence nowadays to find such a collector's item on a public street. But there is a very special story behind this model from 1956, which was unknown until 2018 that it still existed. We will of course go into these in more detail in the course of the article, because every potential buyer of the very special collector's item that is for 1.395.000 US Dollars is offered for sale at Gullwing Motors in the USA, is certainly interested in the probably unique history of the vehicle.
300 SL with patina is probably unique
This Mercedes whose first owner was named a Hollywood director Roger M Andrews was, and the one about the Chassis number 23883 was originally in DB 50 white delivered, including one red leather interior and a Becker Mexico radio. In 1958 the vehicle finally became available repainted red, and got it in addition tiny exterior mirrors in the rifle bullet design, which are still attached to the long bonnet today.
In 1972 the 300 SL changed hands again, but remained in the family of the second owner named L. Milton Wolf. Until 2006 it was only taken out of the garage on special occasions, and so it has not been used much to this day. After his Deregistration in 2006 the vehicle was thought to be lost for over a decade before reappearing in August 2018, and at auction by Gooding & Company changed hands again. Sammy Rad, a member of the Gull Wing Group, the official association of owners of a 300 SL, received for fabulous 1.127.500 US Dollars the surcharge. Careful he removed the red paintto restore the SL to its original condition. He left the patina completely untouched, because this gives the 300 SL a unique look that can no longer be found in this world.
What is important to know is that only about 150 copies of the W198 in the DB 50 white tone were delivered, and even less had a red leather interior. Thus, the vehicle is a very special piece of jewelry that, in our opinion, belongs in collectors hands.
The legend drives the three-liter R6 suction gasoline engine.
A world sensation in 1954, the in-line six-cylinder in the 300 SL even had one direct injection, which ensures that tight 215 PS and 275 Newtonmeter maximum torque applied. For the time, the performance was like from another planet, since the car was in exorbitant 7,2 seconds from 0 to 100 accelerated, and in the top up to 237 km/h ran.
Even today these are values with which one is definitely not one of the slow road users on the autobahn, and when you consider that the vehicle is almost 70 years old, you only realize what technological lead the car had at its time . This copy has a pocket Four-speed manual transmissionwhich already fully synchronized and was originally responsible for power transmission in a 300 SL Roadster. Possibly a disadvantage for real enthusiasts of the Gullwing Mercedes, as it makes the 300 SL a little more affordable, if you can even speak of it, at a price of $ 1.395.000.
Our Conclusion about this 1956 Mercedes 300 SL:
The patina look and history of the vehicle are unique, and that's why we love it. This car deserves to be given to loving collectors who either restore it down to the last detail or simply leave it as it is. For photos of the Mercedes you can simply click on the picture gallery that was attached to the article. If we get more information about the changes, there will of course be an update for this report. You will be informed of this if you simply use ours Feed subscribe to. Have fun watching the pictures and stay true to us!
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1956 Mercedes 300 SL with a strong patina!
Photo credit: gullwingmotorcars.com
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