Mercedes-Benz bought back one of its cold cars, and it might be worth millions of dollars.
The firm reacquired a 1954 300 SL gullwing coupe with 35,408 miles on its odometer. The car was amassing mold and dust in a Jacksonville, Florida, dealership since the 1960s, Fox News reported.
It was then moved to a storage facility about 10 years ago.
BARN FIND: 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing coupe found in Florida and is heading to Amelia Island Concours:…
Posted by ClassicCars.com on Thursday, 21 February 2019
“We believe the car has been sitting since 1956 and with 35,308 miles on the odometer,” Constantin von Kageneck, who is the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center’s marketing and communication specialist, told the Ponte Vedra Recorder newspaper several weeks ago. “It appears the original owner enjoyed this 300 SL quite a bit between 1954 to 1956.”
The report estimated that the Mercedes could be worth between $1 million to $1.4 million. There were only about 1,400 made, and this specific car was the 43rd one.
The person who sold the vehicle wanted to remain anonymous.
For the next couple of days it’s the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in Florida. On show is a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Gullwing” (W 198) chassis 43. This was a true barn find, stored since 1964. Perfect timing for some Spring cleaning! #classiccars #ClassicCar pic.twitter.com/xlfBI3toQo
— Classicana® (@ClassicanaUK) March 8, 2019
“There comes a point in your life when (attempting) a car like that to getting a proper restore, you have to wait in line a year or two. Then, when they get to it, it’s another two years. When you get to be in your late 70s or early 80s—that’s four years to get a car done. You just don’t know if you’re going to be alive that long,” Bill Warner, who assisted in finding the car, told the paper.
Warner said the 300 SL Gullwing Coupe is a must-have among collectors.
“There are specific cars that are must haves for collectors,” Warner told the news outlet. “A 427 Cobra is one. A pre-1971 Ferrari is another and a Duesenberg is another. That’s just the way it is. This car is one of those.”
Mercedes 300SL Gullwing “Barn Find” Waits To Be Painted For Over 50 Years https://t.co/nwsoHDNstu pic.twitter.com/pn4EfEoig9
— AutoRepairTech.co (@AutoRepairTechs) March 8, 2019
Mercedes-Benz has been attempting to buy the vehicle for several years, and it recently made an offer deemed acceptable to the owner, Fox reported. It’s not clear what it was.
The car, according to the Fox report, was originally medium blue metallic, but it was primed and sanded during an attempt to restore it.
Kageneck said that Gullwing Coupe No. 43 will be shown at the Amelia Island Concours and will be set alongside No. 44, the Recorder reported.
Brabus MB 300 SL Gullwing [1955] #GimsSwiss pic.twitter.com/gp35wuXVtE
— Tolos Touloum (@danausGR) March 5, 2019
“For most classic car aficionados, there is an emotional connection to a specific car,” Kageneck added.
“It was the car their parents took them on vacation when they were young, the first car they owned in high school or the car they dreamed about when they were introduced to cars in the first place. …Classic cars tell a story of the past, they inspire people’s nostalgic imagination and offer us a glimpse of what life in the past looked like.”
… Vintage #Mercedes Coolness…
Frank Lloyd Wright “the greatest American architect of all time”.
Mercedes-Benz 300S Sedan & 300SL Gullwing pic.twitter.com/4tpAPZDBE9— Lienhard Racing (@LienhardRacing) February 28, 2019
From The Epoch Times