It is probably not very common to find a full-blown Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing in a shed these days, but obviously not all SLs have been restored. At any rate, Gooding & Company has a Gullwing barn find to offer in its Scottsdale auction on January 17/18, 2014.
According to Gooding, it is a 1956 car, painted black with a red interior, which has been in the same family for 50 years and is highly original. The car is unrestored and will probably need some affection before it looks and drives like a gem again.
However, this has no effect on the estimated price, which at USD 1.1 to 1.4 million is practically the same as the estimate for a second 300 SL from 1956, which is also going under the hammer at the same auction. Incidentally, the driving combination is the same and this is also said to be a vehicle with low mileage. The price was set at USD 1.35 to 1.7 million.
A convertible to go with the gullwing doors
The 300 SLs are not enough. Gooding has also announced a 300 SL Roadster. This is a 1959 model with drum brakes and built to European specifications, delivered at the time to the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The open SL was recently restored and is now said to be worth USD 0.9 to 1.2 million.
And then there's the 300 Sc Coupé and other Mercedes gems
The Mercedes Benz 300 Sc Coupé from 1956, which sails in the shadow of the SLs, seems almost cheap. The estimated price for the extensively restored car is USD 500,000 to 700,000. Only 98 coupés with fuel injection were built between 1956 and 1957, making this opulent car rarer than the Gullwing.
Other Mercedes classics at the January 2014 Scottsale auction include a 1960 300 SL Roadster (Estimate: $800,000-1,000,000), a 1971 280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet (Estimate: $200,000-250,000), a 1971 280 SE 3.5 Coupé from 1971 (Estimate: $110,000-140,000), a 190 SL from 1961 (Estimate: $160,000-200,000), a 280 SL from 1971 (Estimate: $100,000-120,000), a 600 Limousine with short wheelbase from 1966 (Estimate: $90,000-120,000) and a Youngtimer 560 SL from 1989 (Estimate: $35,000-45,000).
Further information can be found on the Gooding & Company website.
