1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing

Lot details
Registration No: YSJ 714
Chassis No: 198.0405500485
Mot Expiry: Aug 2013

A technical tour de force as well as one of the most beautiful cars ever conceived, the Gullwing has long been a motoring icon.
According to its accompanying copy factory datacard, this particular example - chassis 5500485 - was built with the following extras: White Grey (DB158G) paintwork, Medium Red (1079) leather upholstery, instruments in English writing, front/rear bumper guards, 1kg spare paint plus corner-meter and balance weights etc. Completed to internal order number 668092 on July 2nd 1955 and shipped to New York some twenty-seven days later, the Mercedes-Benz was supplied new to Roger A. Perry of Washington State. Thought to have undergone a professional colour change to Black early in its life and still wearing cellulose paint, the 300SL is known to have subsequently belonged to (or passed through the hands of): Steven Skidmore of Menlo Park, California, Joseph Gerack of Woodland Hills, California and Mr Ross of Palo Alto, California. Repatriated to Germany by Mr Stoffel of Munich, the Gullwing cleared Customs on February 27th 1987 and was road registered to renowned collector Dr Wolf Zweifler the following month.
Inspected by the ONS and issued with a FISA (Federation Internationale du Sport Automobile) Historic Vehicle Identity Form on October 15th 1987, the two-seater participated in one of the Mille Miglia retrospective events thereafter. Responsible for sourcing the current Rudge knock-off wheels (complete with adapters), Dr Zweifler kept the Mercedes-Benz until it entered the current ownership via the agency of David Jones in April 1999. A true enthusiast who was then in the process of refining his own museum collection, the vendor had rejected several Gullwings by the time he encountered chassis 5500485 at that year's Techno Classica Essen. Seemingly never allowed to deteriorate to the point of needing restoration, the 300SL boasted matching chassis, engine and body numbers. Retaining its original upholstery, boot floor covering, factory-fitted steel wheels (as spares) and bellypans not to mention correct cam cover and inlet manifold finishes, a deal was soon struck that saw the car relocate to England.
Garaged alongside a 300SL (W198 II) Roadster, chassis 5500485 has covered some 1,500 miles over the past fourteen years. The longest journey undertaken by the vendor being a run to the Le Mans 24-hours where organisers were bemused to see the Gullwing park-up in the camping field! Said to be a faster, more responsive drive than its open-topped stablemate, the Coupe presently shows an unwarranted 30,400 miles. Not the easiest car to get into and out of despite the presence of an original folding steering wheel, it is not inconceivable that the odometer reading represents the total mileage covered from new (especially given the lack of serious wear to the factory-fitted upholstery). We share the vendor's opinion with regard to 'YSJ 714' being a special car. The most original Gullwing that we have had the pleasure of offering, it presents as 'all of a piece' even down to the chrome plating of the Bosch headlamp surrounds just beginning to thin due to polishing.