Hidden For 50 Years : 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Alloy” Gullwing Sells For $9.3 Million

Never driven in 50 years : Abandoned 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Alloy” Gullwing sells for $9,355,000 at Sotheby’s auction.

Long-hidden Mercedes is one of several vehicles sold on Saturday October 26 during “The Junkyard: The Rudi Klein Collection”.

Star of the junkyard auction was the 26th of 29th alloy-bodied Gullwing ever produced, and the only example finished in black over Red.

Completed on 12 January 1956, chassis number 198.043.5500872 currently has 73,387 kilometers (~45,600 miles) on the odometer. 

A long-forgotten 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Alloy” Gullwing tucked away in a junkyard for about five decades was auctioned off over the weekend at the Sotheby’s auction for a staggering price of $9,355,000.

Acquired by Rudi Klein directly from legendary Ferrari importer and Le Mans champion, Luigi Chinetti, in August 1976, the star of the junkyard auction has never been driven in nearly 50 years until its display at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction in 2024.

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This particular 300 SL Gullwing, offered by Klein sons, is one of several abandoned vehicles that went under the hammer on Saturday October 26, 2024 during “The Junkyard: The Rudi Klein Collection”.

Completed on 12 January 1956, chassis number 198.043.5500872 with 73,387 kilometers (~45,600 miles) on the odometer was the 26th of 29th alloy-bodied Gullwing ever produced, and the only example finished in Schwarz (black) over Red leather interior.

“The 300 SL is arguably the star of the collection and, without doubt, one of the most exciting postwar Mercedes-Benz to be offered in decades,” says Cary Ahl, collection specialist at RM Sotheby’s.

“Yet it was only when we started delving into its history did we discover just how special the car is”, Cary Ahl, added ahead of the auction.

This 300 SL “Alloy” Gullwing is fitted with performance-enhancing features such as a 215 hp, fuel-injected 3.0-liter straight-six engine, a sports suspension, a lower axle ratio, and ventilated front drum brakes.

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