Under the hood of this perfectly maintained German sports coupe is the original powertrain making it one of the rarest Gullwings in modern times.
When discussing the most excellent European sports cars of the 1950s, the Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing is sure to come up. This is because of its crazy racing heritage and passion for all things automotive in the vast world of racing and motorsport. Since 1954, these things have dominated tracks across the globe, mainly consisting of the European Cricut. Nowadays, cars are scarce and usually come at a hefty price, perfect for car collectors and wealthy investors alike. The value of these wicked automobiles will continue to skyrocket for centuries to come. So what makes these cars so great, and why do they seem to have such an alluring appeal to automotive enthusiasts, young and old alike?
This car is the perfect vehicle to help answer that question as it is in near-mint condition with its original powertrain and chassis. These cars were made for the track, which is best seen when analyzing the history of this particular vehicle. Over its 67 years of life, this 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing has participated in many touring events and performance events documented by the Gullwing group and MBCA club letters, and other documentation efforts. Mercedes is primarily known for its incredible engines and ability to overtake the competition with sheer horsepower and torque, but this car was a different story.
The opposition had more power and better handling than most of the Mercedes models, but the engineers of this car had a little trick up their sleeve. After thousands of hours designing and building the perfect lightweight stallion for European road racing, they finally had the vehicle to take down other brands such as BMW and Porsche. All that was left was to drop in the 3.0-liter NSL engine from their sedan model, and it was off to the races. This is one of the last cars of its kind to feature still the original engine that came from the factory and has been exceptionally well maintained throughout its life by Hyatt Cheek, national president of the Gullwing Group and MBCA for the last 32 years.
