US auction house Gooding Christie’s has announced a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing coupe will be on offer at its 2026 Amelia Island auction to be held from March 5 to 8.
The company that orchestrates the private sales of some the world’s most prized automobiles said chassis number 7500075, with an estimated value of $2m to $2.4m (R31.8m to R38.3m), displays the original factory matching numbers for the engine and the rear and front axle carriers, though the gearbox was replaced with another 1957 unit at some point in the car’s life.
It’s not often a 300 SL is presented in this colour, as fewer than 30 units were made available from the factory, but in a lighter blue. This dunkelblau (dark blue) example has an illustrious history of changing body colour.
The car was originally delivered to its first recorded owner, Priscilla Jackson from Texas, finished in weissgrau (white-grey) over a red leather interior. Its next owner, Richard Wibbelsman, purchased the car in 1973, having had it repainted in a forest green metallic, and kept the car until 1978.
The car made its way to Southern California, where it was enjoyed by three enthusiasts, the third refinishing the car in red and the interior retrimmed in black, and the fourth adding a set of luggage and commissioning months of restorative work before reselling it in 1988.
It is in the hands of its current and fifth owner that the Gullwing has been substantially refurbished, including a change to the dark indigo paint job that’s also repeated on the wheels shod with Michelin XWX tyres. Records show the return to its red leather origins came in 2008.
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL is recognised as a design and engineering masterpiece and ranks among the most sought-after collectible cars of all time. It debuted in 1954 as a sports coupé powered by a 158kW straight-six engine, and doors hinged at the roof earned it its “Gullwing” and “Papillon” (butterfly) nicknames.
The car named “Sports Car of the Century” as voted by an international jury in 1999 could reach a top speed of 250km/h. A total of 1,400 300 SL coupes were built between 1954 and 1957, and 1,858 open-top roadsters between 1957 and 1963.
Gooding Christie’s is also offering a 1959 300 SL roadster in weissgrau (pale grey) at the same auction, expected to fetch around $1.3m.
The car can be viewed at 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing | Gooding Christie’s.
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