Gullwing gets top dollar
A restored 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL gullwing coupe has sold for US$3.4 million, or about NZ$1.56m, at an auction in Arizona.
It was one of 65 vehicles that Silver Arrow Cars, a prestige car dealer based in Victoria, Canada, took to an annual globally televised auction, collectively fetching about US$14m, says company president Tim Quocksister.
Silver Arrow Cars bought the 300 SL in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 2020. Quocksister told TV station CHEK+ News he intended to do an “all-in” restoration in 18 months, including “every single option we could put in”, but the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the project.
The work was done by Coachwerks Restoration in Victoria, which has specialised in Mercedes-Benz restorations for 30-plus years and has refurbished more than 120 gullwing coupes. The marque built 1,400 of the models between 1954 and 1957.
