Does minus and minus now add up to plus?
Naturally, the topic of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL , which may not be completely faked but has been significantly manipulated, also dominates the lunchtime discussions in the Zwischengas editorial office. At the heart of the discussion: what is a genuine roadster with a fake chassis number actually worth? After all, it is still a beautiful car with the same wonderful technology as its correctly numbered brother.
Cross-scene fame and verifiable authenticity can drive the value of an automobile to absurd heights. Hardly any classic car in the recent past has demonstrated this as clearly as the original movie Mustang from "Bullitt", which was sold for 3.74 million US dollars in 2020. Whereas even well-made replicas only achieve a small fraction of the valuable original, as can be seen from the comparatively affordable 50,000 euros for a Chamonix Spyder.
This is precisely what makes the formerly white and now fantasy yellow 300 SL Roadster so incalculable. The car is not what it claims to be. On top of that, it is stolen property and has also been the symbol of a medium-sized scandal for almost five months. In short, it has a double whammy. However, as a result, the bright yellow Benz has recently achieved unexpected fame outside the classic car scene. And on top of that, it has certainly become far more famous than it would ever have been in the Malaysian sultan's collection.
The logical, albeit not entirely serious, climax of our twelve o'clock folding stool debating club: the question of when the value of the omnipresent number cruncher in the media will exceed that of the quietly existing original due to its fame. As bizarre as this may sound, it cannot be ruled out completely. Sometimes a fairy tale is simply more exciting than a factual story. And Batmobile replicas based on Corvettes have already been sold for more than hand-switched first-paint split-windows with fuel injection...
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