Ultra-rare 1955 Mercedes-Benz Gullwing auctioned for record $6,825,000

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The Mercedes-Benz Gullwing has flown to new heights.

Mercedes-Benz built 24 aluminum-bodied 300 SL coupes in 1955 and four in 1956.  (RM Sotheby’s)

An ultra-rare example of the 300 SL sports car was auctioned for $6,825,000 at the RM Sotheby's Scottsdale, Arizona, event.

The example sold by RM Sotheby’s for $6,825,000 million is fully restored. (RM Sotheby’s)

The car is one of just 24 of the iconic gullwing-door coupes that were built in 1955 with an aluminum body, which was meant to reduce its weight for use in competition.

The record car is equipped with its original engine. (RM Sotheby’s)

All the vehicles still exist but rarely change hands. The last known sale was in 2012, when one was auctioned for $4.62 million, according to Hagerty.

New gaberdine upholstery and a matching set of luggage were added during a restoration completed in 1979. (RM Sotheby’s)

The $6 million car was of particular interest because it retains its original 3.0-liter, inline-6 engine, rear axle and front spindles, although its gearbox has been replaced with an identical unit from a 1957 300 SL. 

The 1955 300 SL Alloy Gullwing had a list price of 5,000 German marks when it was new, which is the equivalent of $28,000 today. To put the auction car's value in perspective, a steel-bodied 1955 300 SL also with its numbers-matching engine was sold at the same event for $1,710,000.

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The price paid in Scottsdale was short of the pre-auction estimate of $7 million to $9 million, but still ranks it among the most valuable Mercedes-Benz cars ever sold, behind a handful of prewar customer cars and a 1954 W196 Formula One racing car driven by the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio that was auctioned for over $29,600,000 in 2013.

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