The Mercedes 300SL Gullwing is most certainly one of the most coveted and valuable classics, and the inspiration behind the modern-day SLS AMG. In its time, it was considered as one of the best sports cars in the world.
Thus, if you lived in the 1970s and your parents gave you a 1955 Gullwing as a graduation present, you’d probably cherish every moment behind its wheel. And that’s what Tom Wellmer did in 1971 – until the transmission went haywire. Instead of taking it for service, Wellmer just left it in a Santa Monica garage – and it remained parked there for the next four decades!
It’s almost incredible to believe that such a car would be left sitting in a garage for 40 years, and what makes it even harder to understand is the fact that this is not your “average” Gullwing.
It is one of the 29 specials that sport a lightweight alloy body, plexiglas windows, a lowered suspension, larger brakes, a high performance camshaft and bespoke wheels. Yet Wellmer just left it in the garage, among various junk and old computer parts from his profession as a tech executive.
Eventually the car was discovered 20 years ago by classic car restorer Rudi Koniczek, who has since tried to convince Wellmer to part with the rare classic, which currently goes for about $2.5 million USD. The identity of its new owner has been kept a secret, but Wellmer demanded just one thing before agreeing to sell the car: that the Gullwing is fully restored to its original condition.
Story Sources: Edmonton Journal via Jalopnik
MERCEDES-BENZ 300SL FACTORY PICTURES
