Since the dawn of automobile production, few cars continue to astound and capture the imagination of enthusiasts the world over like the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, with its intoxicating combination of stunning looks, space-age engineering, and incredible performance. Works-prepared racing variants earned many notable motorsport victories from 1952 through 1956, including at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Carrera Panamericana, the Liège–Rome–Liège rally, and multiple other championships in North America and Europe.

Intrepid customers wishing to race their 300 SL Gullwing in period—as Mercedes-Benz intended—could choose from a bevy of competition equipment available for purchase directly from the factory. Among the most extreme options was an aluminum-alloy body, which lowered the car’s weight by 209 pounds. Adding more than 5,000 DM to the already sizable purchase price of the 300 SL, only 29 of the most committed and well-heeled privateers opted for it. Notably, not even Mercedes-Benz’s own racing department chose to run an alloy-body Gullwing. Instead, its works cars were outfitted just like the 1956 Gullwing offered here, with all the most desirable high-performance competition options, notwithstanding the alloy body.

As testified by its original manuals and a copy of its factory data card, chassis 6500100 was special ordered by George H. Glass of Midland, Texas. At the time, Glass was stationed in Berlin with the US Army, and it was there that he took delivery of this exceptionally well-specified Gullwing on 8 May 1956.

In addition to the special-order color combination of Fire Engine Red (DB 534) over black leather (953) with red gabardine fabric (L2), Mr. Glass specified competition upgrades, including five Rudge wheels, a sport suspension, and the upgraded 3.0-liter inline-six—known colloquially as the “NSL” engine, standing for “nockenwelle mit sonderteilen fur SportLiches,” or “camshaft with special parts for SLs.” Its race-bred internals include a high-lift competition camshaft, higher compression ratio, butterfly throttle valve, and recalibrated fuel distributor, all of which helped deliver 240 horsepower. The Gullwing was further fitted from the factory with sealed-beam headlights, the standard 3.64:1 rear axle, and rear bumper overriders. According to its confirmed body number—198.040.6500096—this car is the 96th of 306 examples completed in 1956.

Upon delivery, Glass registered his new Gullwing with the US Army Occupation plate “6C15079.” One struggles to imagine just how jaw-dropping of a sight this car must have been on the streets of post-war Berlin. It is not clear when exactly the car returned to the United States, but it reportedly remained with a long-term California owner from the 1960s until that owner’s passing in the 1990s. The consignor, a friend of the former owner, purchased the Gullwing from his friend’s widow in the late 1990s and has retained the car ever since.

While in the consignor’s care, the car was submitted to renowned 300 SL specialist Rudi Koniczek for a complete, no-expense-spared restoration. Invoices and work orders on file illustrate more than $92,000 CAD of work completed to fully disassemble the Gullwing, remediate any and all issues to the chassis, underpinnings, and body shell, re-chrome accessory trim, rebuild the transmission, and numerous other areas of focus.

An additional $70,000 USD of invoices for work performed under the care of the previous owner indicate that 300 SL specialist German Auto Repair of Fresno, California fit a new red leather interior, windshield, and side windows, and rebuilt the numbers-matching NSL engine.

Today, the car remains resplendent, masterfully refinished in the model’s signature color combination of Silver Metallic (DB 180) over red leather (1079). Comparing identification numbers of the various components with those listed on the factory data card confirms that the Gullwing retains its numbers-matching chassis, NSL engine, body, and axles, both front and rear. The car’s gearbox, number 7500698, is a replacement unit from 1957. Additionally, this outstanding 300 SL Gullwing is equipped with five Rudge wheels showing date codes corresponding to the car’s time of production, as well as two pieces of fitted luggage trimmed in red leather, and a period-correct, wood-rimmed Nardi steering wheel. The original steering wheel is included in the sale.

Boasting thrilling performance yet reliable enough to be enjoyed daily, the 300 SL Gullwing is a favorite for vintage rallies, long-distance touring, or even used as a daily driver on occasion. A beautifully restored example such as this, carefully maintained and boasting the most sought-after performance options offered by the factory, certainly proves why the 300 SL Gullwing is, without doubt, one of the sports cars of the century—an icon among post-war designs that will forever captivate enthusiasts and collectors fortunate enough to own one.