Chassis No. 198.040.5500606

Engine No. 198.980.5500645

Body No. A198.040.5500586

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 retains its original mechanical equipment.

This particular 300 SL Coupe, chassis number 5500606 is one such car, equipped with Gullwing "must haves" like critical matching-numbers components of engine, body, and transmission, known history and attractive presentation. According to research by well-regarded 300 SL expert Christian Kramer, less than eight-percent of all the 300 SL Coupes built were finished in the attractive standard color of Graphitgrau "Graphite Grey." Total production of course amounted to 1,400 total cars, of which 108 cars were finished in this color. It is also particularly unusual that documentation in the car's file indicates the car's original delivery to Guatemala City, Guatemala and specifically Manfredo Lippmann, the Mercedes-Benz dealer and veteran racing driver. The first owner was evidently Mr. Guillermo Suhr, who is otherwise well known for his participation in the Carrera Panamericana in a Porsche 356 just two years earlier. Certainly a well-heeled and sporting character!

Previous research suggests the second owner was Alan Plihal, from whom the car was sold to Alfredo Peralta, son of Guatemala's president in the early 1960s. By the early 1970s the car was purchased by Guatemala-based American expat William Wilmeth, in whose ownership it is understood that the engine was sent Stateside for work and that Wilmeth himself ultimately traveled back home with the car before placing it in storage for an extended period.

After two decades of storage, the car was treated to a nut and bolt, frame-off restoration by car collector Mr. Mario Sueiras of Guatemala, which was evidently completed in about 2006. In the process, the car was beautifully finished in Silver Grey Metallic over a blue tartan interior, with a set of matching luggage and chromed Rudge-style wheels. Quite remarkably, the original "belly pans" remain with the car as well. Following the restoration, and only a limited amount of total driving miles, the car was sold to a collector in Greenwich, Connecticut, in whose collection the car has remained for the better part of a decade.

Through the years, 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 fascinating history, matching-numbers engine and transmission, lovely original and current color specification, and superb overall presentation. It warrants serious attention from driving enthusiasts and Mercedes-Benz aficionados alike!