“The 300 SL is prophecy incarnate. It's a pace-setter, a style-setter, a design conception that is bound to influence the world's automotive industry for many years to come… Literally, the 300 SL is a car of the future that can be possessed today…it's just about impossible to duplicate what the 300SL has to offer at any price.”

—Griff Borgeson, Sports Cars Illustrated, April 1956

The person who has come to own “the last” of anything worth collecting—whether through happenstance, patience, determination, privilege, or blind luck—is, by extension, unique simply for owning precisely what no one else does. With niche vintage collectibles, the fight to attain the final example of any prized item can draw out over decades and consume untold sums—provided such an item is even available to private buyers and not poised under spotlights in a public museum or corporate archive, hermetically sealed behind three inches of laser-guarded glass.

Indeed, the final examples of many of the world’s most sought-after collectibles are locked away, never to trade hands again, making the chance to have the last of anything—particularly an iconic sportscar model—a storied, one-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Heralded as the “sportscar of the century" and widely revered for its intoxicating blend of show-stopping aesthetics, space-age engineering, and incredible performance, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing stands head and shoulders above the iconic sportscar designs which still captivate collectors today. It irrefutably remains the most significant and widely admired automobile produced by the marque in their long and laurel-crowned history.

The Last Gullwing, offered here today, is a singular example with symbolic cachet which forever ties this car—and its future owner—to everything accomplished by this all-conquering model: the victory, the glamour, and the greatness.

EVERYWHERE, ALL THE TIME, ALL AT ONCE

The 300 SL Gullwing’s impact upon the cultural zeitgeist of the 20th century is far broader than merely motorsport in large part because it was produced in significant numbers. Between 1954 and 1957, Mercedes-Benz minted 1,400 examples of the Gullwing—of which several hundred were driven in anger at racetracks all over the world.

Though instantly recognizable thanks to the bold and unconventional design required by its lightweight spaceframe construction—itself derived from the all-conquering W194 and W196 racing sportscars of 1952 and 1954—the roadgoing 300 SL Gullwing seemed to be everywhere, all the time, all at once…from the silver screen to Mulholland Drive, from the Champs-Élysées to the Arctic Circle, and from the pristine display of a motor show exhibit hall to the grime-soaked glory of the winner’s circle. In direct juxtaposition to nearly all the most collectable mid-century exotics like Ferrari’s 250 Testa Rossa, BMW’s 507, Lamborghini’s Miura, and Jaguar’s XKSS, the 300 SL Gullwing was stellar in its ubiquity.

It also did wonders for the 300 SL to retain such a close technical and aesthetic resemblance to its all-conquering sibling, the 300 SLR racing sportscar of 1955. If the production gullwing is sometimes called the “first supercar”, then its 3.0-liter SLR cousin has been dubbed the “first hypercar” easily reaching unprecedented speeds in excess of 180 mph thanks to its ultra-lightweight magnesium bodywork and 300-horsepower engine. In 2022, RM Sotheby’s was privileged to sell the 300 SLR Ulhenhaut Coupe on behalf of Mercedes-Benz for an astounding $142 million, thereby cementing it as the most valuable car in history.

When a 300 SL was not on the front page of a publication’s sports coverage, there was a good chance that one could be found pasted to the entertainment section, as the super-leicht has always been associated with the world’s socialites, business tycoons, movie stars, and royals. The 300 SL was also a bastion of individuality and expression; an owner could have Gullwing in any color combination, and with as many of the factory’s optional extras as they desired.

The technologically advanced 300 SL’s world-beating pedigree earned the model countless headline-grabbing victories at many of the world’s premier sportscar races, not to mention numerous amateur rally, road, and endurance racing championships. But perhaps what is most remarkable about the Gullwing was that it achieved such laurels while also proving to be one of the most elegant, chic, and desirable automobiles of the century—a machine often hailed as “a spacecraft on four wheels.”

THE LAST GULLWING

On 15 May 1957, Mercedes-Benz completed this car, the singular bookend to Mercedes-Benz’s most important model, whose famous status has never wavered nor been eclipsed.

The Last Gullwing, chassis 7500079, began its life as a special-order Standwagen which was initially exhibited by Mercedes-Benz at the 1957 Poznan International Trade Fair before making its way to the United States Mercedes-Benz distribution network on 27 September 1957. Any additional show appearances by The Last Gullwing between the end of the Poznan Fair on 29 June and the car’s dispatch to America nearly eight weeks later remain unrecorded. By the time that 7500079 was released from its exhibition duties, the Mercedes-Benz factory had already churned out several examples of the succeeding 300 SL Roadster.

Interestingly, the Last Gullwing’s accompanying pair of factory data card copies show that it was originally specified in Fire Engine Red (DB 534) over special-order full Crème leather (1060) with English instrumentation, sealed beam headlamps, bumper covers, and, on account of its notably long residence at the factory, a set of the wider 15 x 5½ -inch Kronprinz wheels normally fitted to the 300 SL Roadster.

Sliding into relative obscurity during its earliest days in America, this extremely significant, irreproachably unique, and wonderfully correct prize has nonetheless lived a very fortunate life during which it has been treasured by a short chain of only four recorded owners since new. The Last Gullwing still wears its factory-correct color combination and retains its numbers-matching chassis, engine, body, gearbox, and front axles. Its rear axle, 7500024, is believed to be original as well; note however that the accompanying data card copies record its number as simply “324.”

The Last Gullwing is now offered from more than 25 years in the care of its latest private custodian. Beautifully restored by his own hand over the course of several years, the car was invited to debut at the 2004 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, which marks the first time that the model was allowed entry to this ultra-competitive and extremely exclusive event. For their part, the judges and attendees fawned over 7500079 and awarded it 3rd in Class—a remarkable debut and superior testament to the quality of its restoration.

Notwithstanding its unchallenged position as Mercedes-Benz’s most famous and successful production model, the iconic 300 SL Gullwing has been able to hold the burning-hot focus of the limelight for seven decades because it not only represents the glamor of Hollywood, the thrill of victory in motorsport, or the fleeting, captivating beauty of a new object, but rather because it has always represented an ideal: to be the best.

Unrivaled in provenance and significance as the final factory-delivered bookend to the famous super-leicht, The Last Gullwing presents an opportunity transcending mere ownership. To be seen in this Gullwing is to be associated with greatness, as well as all the successes of the model and those who made that success possible.

Much like the Michael Jordan’s final game-worn jersey, Babe Ruth’s last home run ball, Diego Maradona’s final pair of cleats, or the ultimate work executed by Picasso, “The Last Gullwing” emanates a transcendent ideal of collecting that defies its own individual provenance as a mechanical object: to possess the “last” of anything that defined an era is to hold a piece of history itself.