Auction Block: 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing

Once the world’s fastest production car, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing is undoubtedly one of the greatest vehicles ever made. And now that one is going to auction, it’s your chance to own a part of automotive history. But this one is special, because it has a bit of individual history, too. It was owned by Sigurd “Sig” Nygren, one part of a set of twins who survived WWII as assistant engineers working in the massive power plants deep within the bowels of ships. And he made a few fitting modifications.

As you can see, the Gullwing’s Fire Engine Red facade has been maintained and the whole vehicle is unrestored – retaining all the original parts. That includes a three liter engine, fuel-injected power, all-independent suspension, a 4-speed manual gear box, and the original upholstery. Sig’s additions also include an aircraft chronometer, altimeter, and a thermometer – which are all still in place. He also added fog lamps, a reverse lamp with a toggle switch, a windscreen defroster fan, and a six-speaker sound system. This beautiful piece of history shows only 31,239 miles on the odometer and will be headed to auction at the Gooding & Co. Scottsdale auction later this year with a starting bid of $900,000. [Purchase]