Clark Gable's Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing was one of the highlights of January's Scottsdale auctions, and now another 1955 example of the sought-after car has been consigned to RM Auctions' Amelia Island sale on March 3.
 The single-family provenance of this Gullwing is likely to boost bids come sale day |
The single-family owned Gullwing has been given an estimate of $800,000-950,000, though is likely to push past the $1m mark, given the $2m price tag secured by the Clark Gable example at Scottsdale and its fantastic single-family provenance.
One of just 29 alloy-bodied examples ever produced sold for $3.8m at RM Auctions' London auction in October 2012.
The 300SL was first seen as a race car when it made its debut at the 1952 Mille Miglia, securing second and fourth places. That same year, it saw overall wins at the Le Mans 24 Hours, the Eifelrennen at the Nurburgring and Mexico's Carrera Panamericana.
All of these wins were considerable feats, considering that the 300SL produced just 175hp, significantly less than its competitors.
Following this outstanding success, the decision was made to produce a road car for the booming post-war US market. The first model to be released was the Roadster, followed by the Gullwing in 1955.
There were just 3,258 road worthy 300SLs manufactured by Mercedes-Benz from its release in 1954 until production ended in 1957, and these would have been purchased by only the most illustrious clients.
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