A mere 1400 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLs were built between 1954 and 1957. With a power output of 175 hp and a top speed of 250 km/hour, it was the fastest sports car in the world at the time. Engineers developed the design based closely on a successful racing model. When the 300 SL was introduced in America – where 80 per cent of all models were sold – Americans dubbed it the "Gullwing". And in fact: its upward-swinging doors do indeed make the car look like a seagull spreading its wings to take flight.
Unprofessional restoration
And it was just such a model, specifically a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL made in 1955, that was recently set to undergo restoration at the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Fellbach near Stuttgart. The new owner, a German collector, had purchased it and brought it to the classic car experts in Fellbach. They quickly recognised that the car had been improperly restored years earlier and that it had also been repainted. The factory records documented that what was now a silver car had originally been metallic light blue. "According to our records, only seven Mercedes-Benz 300 SLs were painted this colour,” says Michael Plag, project manager at the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Fellbach.