RM Sotheby's To Auction '55 Mercedes 300 SL Sportabteilung Gullwing

One of the most valuable of all classic Mercedes-Benz cars are the 300 SL Gullwing cars of the mid to late '50s. RM Sotheby's is set to auction off one of these rare cars and this one is even more special and rare than the norm. The car is a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL "Sportabteilung" Gullwing. The car is a special completion version of 300 SL and is only one of four that were made.

This car is the first of the four W198 Gullwing steel-bodied cars that were prepared by the Sportabteilung or competition department. The car has a 240hp inline six-cylinder engine with Bosch R3 mechanical fuel injection and four speed manual transmission.

The front suspension is independent and uses coil springs along with a modified rear swing-axle suspension with coil springs and ventilated drum brakes. The car was driven to the second place overall in the 1956 Tour de France by Sir Stirling Moss.

RM Sotheby's expects the car to generate lots of interest and to bring big money at auction. With its rarity and racing pedigree being driven to success by one of the most famous racers of the era it's rightly considered to be a golden-grail for collectors.

SOURCE: RM Sotheby's