Museum-fresh Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing to sell for charity

1957 winged coupé set to fetch a cool $1.3 million

Maintenance is a tricky business. Short of converting your garage into a temperature-controlled haven free from humidity and risk, you’re committed to fighting a constant battle to keep your classic motor in good nick.

Unless, of course, you commit that classic to a life of museum exhibitions – where, besides the odd poke from a pesky child, it’s probably pretty safe from the ageing process.

So it is with this remarkable Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing – an unrestored, highly original 1957 machine that’s lived for 50 years in a pair of American museums.

Now it’s going on sale in the name of charity at RM Auctions' Fort Lauderdale sale – so here’s everything you need to know about chassis 7500071.

Gives you wings

Why have doors, when you can have wings? At least, that’s what Mercedes-Benz thought when it built the first racing 300 SL in 1952.

Fast-forward several decades and the upward-hinging gullwing doors had become icons in their own right – but never were they better realised than on the original 300 SL models of the ‘50s.

World-beating power

Built to race, the 300 SL first made it on to roads in 1954. Equipped with a powerful 3.0-litre engine paired with the first ever fuel injection system on a production car, it took the crown as the fastest roadgoing car of its era – a fact that surely made it worthy of attention, absurd doors or otherwise.

Trim body

That status was also achieved in part thanks to use of lightweight aluminium for several body parts, including the hood and doors. A full aluminium skin was available to customers, but its prohibitive cost meant just 29 of the type were made.

Slippery critter

It also benefited from many aerodynamic developments, such as fins above the wheels, which reduced drag and enabled the 300 SL to slip through the air to top speeds in excess of 150mph – even if the fuel injection system was in need of a little refinement.

Short run

Production of the original coupé version of the 300 SL ceased in 1957. After that point it was available as a roadster which, though arguably a friendlier touring machine and still a stylish wagon, did away with those distinctive, poster-worthy doors.

Limited wings

Fewer than 3300 300 SLs were built during the production run of 1954 to 1963, and only 1400 of those were coupés – making any Gullwing in good condition a rare beast indeed. One straight out of a museum? That’s something else entirely.

In at the end

Built in 1957, the Gullwing going to auction was the fifth-from-last 300 SL coupé to leave the factory. Besides carrying a host of refinements realised over the coupé’s production run, chassis 7500071 benefits from an optioned Becker Mexico and full leather interior – ageing and all.

Hot property

Delivered initially to Portland, Oregon, it made its way through several garages until its keys ended up in the hands of car collector Arthur True. When he passed away in 1967, the Gullwing was donated to the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan.

From one museum to another

Not quite the right fit for the Ford exhibition, it was shortly sold to another owner, based in Jackson, Michigan. Unable to meet the maintenance needs of this mighty Mercedes, he decided from 1968 to loan it to museums – and it would go on to live in two in the following 50 years.

Bird on show

The more recent of those two homes was the ACD Automobile Museum in Auburn, Indiana, where it was both maintained and exhibited, greeting thousands of visitors with those instantly captivating wings.

Almost all-original

Museum conditions have helped to ensure that this crimson beauty remains an essentially original specimen in outstanding order.

Besides several refinishes to the Fire Engine Red paint job over its lifespan, much of the 300 SL remains otherwise unrestored.

Rest and recovery

Despite signs of use and ageing (which arguably add character to what is already a captivating classic), much of the interior is in impeccable condition, having not been used in earnest for decades.

Sleeping beauty

As evidence of that fact, the Gullwing’s 36,375 running miles were all recorded before its consignment to museum life in 1968. Should the new owner choose to take it out for a test run, they’ll even find the original Michelin spare on board.

Back to reality

Now ready to leave the sanctity of its exhibition space, chassis 7500071 is going up for auction at RM Sotheby’s Fort Lauderdale sale on April 7 – and all auction proceeds will be donated to the Jackson YMCA.

Gullwing for good

So, while the financially ruinous $1.3m (£930,000) estimate might put this dream machine out of reach for most, it turns out this one’s not really a car purchase at all.

Instead, it's a large donation to charity which happens to come with a free 1957 Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing. And that sounds looks like a good deal all round.

The RM Fort Lauderdale auction takes place today and tomorrow (6-7 April), with the 300 SL up for grabs on Saturday.