Mercedes-300 SL Gullwing 1957, The Grandest And Fastest Production Car In Auction

Mercedes-300 SL Gullwing 1957. (Doc. RM Sotheby's)

JAKARTA classic car fans must know enough to know Mercedes-300 SL Gulwing, which is widely considered the most iconic car ever made.

One of these cars will soon be auctioned off at RM Sotheby's. This car is not only a classic status and is the last sert produced, but also has a unique story behind its journey.

Launching information on the auction house, as well as the Top Gear page, November 16, this special Gulwing is the 1,400th unit as well as the last of the production of the iconic Mercedes-Benz car. The model was completed on May 15, 1957 and was originally designed as an exhibition car (Standwagen) for Poznan International Trade Fair in the same year. Uniquely, this Gulwing comes in a red-lit color Fire Engine Red violating the silver tradition typical of other Mercedes cars' combined with elegant cream skin interiors.

After his debut at Poznan, Gullwing traveled a long journey across the continent, and only changed hands four times in his history. His last owner is also a collector and has maintained the authenticity of this car for 25 years. Paint, chassis, engine, and other components are maintained exactly as they were when they first left the factory.

This Gumwing adopts a 50 kg light spaceframe chassis, taken from a W194 race car, which makes it have to use a door with an iconic wing design. Under the engine hood, there is a 3.0 liter straight-six engine that produces about 215 hp, allowing this car to reach a maximum speed of up to 250 km/hour. In its time, it was the world's fastest production car and was considered one of the first supercars ever made.

RM Sotheby's predicts the auction price of this legendary car will reach 2.5 million US dollars to 3.5 million US dollars (around Rp39.7 billion Rp55.6 billion) at the auction event which will be held in Nevada, United States on November 22.