For Sale at Auction: 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 in Amelia Island, Florida for sale in Yulee, FL
Vehicle Description Chassis No.
198.
040.
5500418 Engine No.
198.
980.
5500427 Body No.
A 198.
040.
5500401 Mercedes-Benz achieved great success racing their W194 Coupe in 1952 and, with encouragement from visionary U.
S.
car importer Max Hoffman, the development of a high-performance road variant of the race car began.
The resulting road car, the 300 SL Gullwing, is an automotive masterpiece.
It featured a unique, streamlined design that included the signature gullwing doors and direct mechanical fuel injection.
The Gullwing model's success led to a four-year production run of 1,400 cars.
Perhaps more important than its racing origins, mechanical superiority, speed, production numbers, or looks, is the outsized relevance the Gullwing maintains within the collector car community.
300 SL Coupes emit a gravitational pull like no other European classic, and are considered a bellwether due to a devotion to not only the Mercedes-Benz brand, but the fact that a Gullwing is always in demand and stylistically timeless.
Naturally, this has led to connoisseurs of the model looking for the best Gullwing possible, one that features wonderful colors, offers a well-known chain of ownership, and exudes an impressive originality that few examples can offer.
This particular 300 SL Coupe, chassis number 5500418 is one such car, equipped with Gullwing must haves like critical matching-numbers components, a known chain of ownership since the 1960s, Rudge knock-off wheels, and a lush, special order Blue leather interior.
The accompanying Data Card shows that this Gullwing completed production on 16 June 1955 and left the factory in a seaworthy shipping crate on 29 June, destined for trip across the Atlantic Ocean as a United States-market example.
Its Gullwing Group Registry entry notes that this car was specially ordered by Mercedes-Benz Distributors Inc.
of New York with special high gloss Ivory (608) paintwork, a Blue leather (333) interior, 3.
94:
1 rear axle ratio, and most importantly, painted Rudge knock-off wheels.
While its original owner is unknown, the car was located in Texas by the mid-1960s at Memorial Motors of Houston, Texas.
On 7 April 1966 the car was acquired by John M.
Wheatley of Tulsa, Oklahoma for the princely sum of $5,100.
Most interestingly, the bill of sale notes that the purchase price included a one-way plane ticket for Wheatley from Tulsa to Houston.
Wheatley planned to drive his newly acquired sports car the 500 miles from The Bayou City through Dallas, back to Tulsa.
No doubt, even as an 11 year old sportscar his new 300 SL attracted all manner of appreciative and quizzical looks on the way to Oklahoma.
Earning a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan, Wheately served as a 1st Lieutenant in United States Air Force during the Korean War and returned to work as a test pilot for the Hughes Aircraft, Culver City, California.
Surely with an appreciation for innovative technology, the 300 SL was a real star amongst his growing car collection, which included five Packard Twelves.
The car remained in the stewardship of Lieutenant Wheatley for the following 16 years before heading to Albuquerque, New Mexico, with Robert P.
Friggens.
As a fellow aviator and automobile collector, the new owner of this 300 SL shared a similar connection with the previous.
Mr.
Friggens collection was comprised of many noteworthy cars including multiple Packards, a Duesenberg, and even a 500 K Spezial Roadster.
Under the stewardship of Mr.
Friggens for a remarkable 38 years, the 300 SL was thoroughly enjoyed and reported to have been used to set a brisk pace on his business trips into Texas.
While with Mr.
Friggens, the 300 SL was featured at the 2008 Concours du Soleil in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The 300 SL was then acquired by Peter Kumar of Gullwing Motor Cars approximately four years ago, with it then migrating back to Europe, where the owner had the car cared for by KS Classic Cars of B?hler, Switzerland, before returning to the United States in September 2022.
Upon its return to the United States, the car was brought to the specialists at the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Long Beach, California in September 2022.
Technicians drained the fuel tank and serviced the highly precise mechanical fuel pump.
The engine oil was changed, and, while drained, a leak in the oil cooling system was repaired.
Additionally, a new set of five 185VR15 Dunlop SP Sport tires and tubes were mounted, and the transmission and rear differential oil were changed.
The maintenance work totaled just over $7,500 and is reflective of the impressive condition in which it returned to the United States.
Today the car remains in a highly original condition, having developed a charming patina from decades of careful and conscientious use.
It is believed that the car was repainted only once, a rarity among Gullwings, in the early 1960s to its present Silver-Grey Metallic.
Inside the car, its original special order Blue leather upholstery exists with a set of aircraft-style lap belts just as Mercedes might have installed in 1955.
A period-correct Becker Mexico AM/FM radio has also been mounted underneath the dashboard.
Accompanying the car are period photographs showing the car in Texas in the 1960s, Oklahoma registration cards, and an invoice from the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in January 2023.
Through the decades, the 300 SL has remained as one of the must have cars for any serious automobile collector, having firmly established its place as one of the most significant production sports cars of all time.
This exceptional 300 SL Gullwing Coupe, one of just 856 produced for 1955, stands out in terms of its documented history, matching-numbers engine, original Blue leather interior, and factory-equipped Rudge wheels.
Please note this vehicle is titled as model year 1956.
198.
040.
5500418 Engine No.
198.
980.
5500427 Body No.
A 198.
040.
5500401 Mercedes-Benz achieved great success racing their W194 Coupe in 1952 and, with encouragement from visionary U.
S.
car importer Max Hoffman, the development of a high-performance road variant of the race car began.
The resulting road car, the 300 SL Gullwing, is an automotive masterpiece.
It featured a unique, streamlined design that included the signature gullwing doors and direct mechanical fuel injection.
The Gullwing model's success led to a four-year production run of 1,400 cars.
Perhaps more important than its racing origins, mechanical superiority, speed, production numbers, or looks, is the outsized relevance the Gullwing maintains within the collector car community.
300 SL Coupes emit a gravitational pull like no other European classic, and are considered a bellwether due to a devotion to not only the Mercedes-Benz brand, but the fact that a Gullwing is always in demand and stylistically timeless.
Naturally, this has led to connoisseurs of the model looking for the best Gullwing possible, one that features wonderful colors, offers a well-known chain of ownership, and exudes an impressive originality that few examples can offer.
This particular 300 SL Coupe, chassis number 5500418 is one such car, equipped with Gullwing must haves like critical matching-numbers components, a known chain of ownership since the 1960s, Rudge knock-off wheels, and a lush, special order Blue leather interior.
The accompanying Data Card shows that this Gullwing completed production on 16 June 1955 and left the factory in a seaworthy shipping crate on 29 June, destined for trip across the Atlantic Ocean as a United States-market example.
Its Gullwing Group Registry entry notes that this car was specially ordered by Mercedes-Benz Distributors Inc.
of New York with special high gloss Ivory (608) paintwork, a Blue leather (333) interior, 3.
94:
1 rear axle ratio, and most importantly, painted Rudge knock-off wheels.
While its original owner is unknown, the car was located in Texas by the mid-1960s at Memorial Motors of Houston, Texas.
On 7 April 1966 the car was acquired by John M.
Wheatley of Tulsa, Oklahoma for the princely sum of $5,100.
Most interestingly, the bill of sale notes that the purchase price included a one-way plane ticket for Wheatley from Tulsa to Houston.
Wheatley planned to drive his newly acquired sports car the 500 miles from The Bayou City through Dallas, back to Tulsa.
No doubt, even as an 11 year old sportscar his new 300 SL attracted all manner of appreciative and quizzical looks on the way to Oklahoma.
Earning a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan, Wheately served as a 1st Lieutenant in United States Air Force during the Korean War and returned to work as a test pilot for the Hughes Aircraft, Culver City, California.
Surely with an appreciation for innovative technology, the 300 SL was a real star amongst his growing car collection, which included five Packard Twelves.
The car remained in the stewardship of Lieutenant Wheatley for the following 16 years before heading to Albuquerque, New Mexico, with Robert P.
Friggens.
As a fellow aviator and automobile collector, the new owner of this 300 SL shared a similar connection with the previous.
Mr.
Friggens collection was comprised of many noteworthy cars including multiple Packards, a Duesenberg, and even a 500 K Spezial Roadster.
Under the stewardship of Mr.
Friggens for a remarkable 38 years, the 300 SL was thoroughly enjoyed and reported to have been used to set a brisk pace on his business trips into Texas.
While with Mr.
Friggens, the 300 SL was featured at the 2008 Concours du Soleil in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The 300 SL was then acquired by Peter Kumar of Gullwing Motor Cars approximately four years ago, with it then migrating back to Europe, where the owner had the car cared for by KS Classic Cars of B?hler, Switzerland, before returning to the United States in September 2022.
Upon its return to the United States, the car was brought to the specialists at the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Long Beach, California in September 2022.
Technicians drained the fuel tank and serviced the highly precise mechanical fuel pump.
The engine oil was changed, and, while drained, a leak in the oil cooling system was repaired.
Additionally, a new set of five 185VR15 Dunlop SP Sport tires and tubes were mounted, and the transmission and rear differential oil were changed.
The maintenance work totaled just over $7,500 and is reflective of the impressive condition in which it returned to the United States.
Today the car remains in a highly original condition, having developed a charming patina from decades of careful and conscientious use.
It is believed that the car was repainted only once, a rarity among Gullwings, in the early 1960s to its present Silver-Grey Metallic.
Inside the car, its original special order Blue leather upholstery exists with a set of aircraft-style lap belts just as Mercedes might have installed in 1955.
A period-correct Becker Mexico AM/FM radio has also been mounted underneath the dashboard.
Accompanying the car are period photographs showing the car in Texas in the 1960s, Oklahoma registration cards, and an invoice from the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in January 2023.
Through the decades, the 300 SL has remained as one of the must have cars for any serious automobile collector, having firmly established its place as one of the most significant production sports cars of all time.
This exceptional 300 SL Gullwing Coupe, one of just 856 produced for 1955, stands out in terms of its documented history, matching-numbers engine, original Blue leather interior, and factory-equipped Rudge wheels.
Please note this vehicle is titled as model year 1956.
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