1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing

Retained by the manufacturer for promotional purposes after dispatch; displayed at the Turin International Automobile Salon in April 1956 before being sold.

Registered the car in Milan in late May 1956; entered it in the 1957 Mille Miglia though the car reportedly did not make it to the start.

Acquired in May 1963; by the close of the decade the car had been exported to the United States.

Commissioned specialist Tom Drummond to undertake a body-on restoration with repaint in the original colour; interior was refreshed in blue leather during this period.

Purchased at auction in January 2014; subsequently sold the car to an Italian collector.

A marque enthusiast who found the car in Nyack, New York; sold it to a California-based physician in the late 1970s.

Based in Escondido, California; kept the car for several decades before selling to a West Coast collector, during whose tenure a full body-on restoration was carried out.

Current consignor; in 2021 arranged a thorough restoration by Swiss specialist Stefano Coratelli, returning the car to factory-correct specification including the original red interior and silver coachwork.

Car was displayed as a factory show exhibit, not as a competition entry; included here as a structured public appearance by the manufacturer.

Entered under race number 424, indicating a scheduled start time; the car apparently did not reach the event. Period entry documentation is preserved with the car.

A comprehensive restoration encompassing an engine tune, full brake rebuild, renewal of the fuel pump and electrical systems, replacement of wheel bearings, engine mounts, and hoses, and a cabin retrim back to the factory-specified red leather.

Commissioned by the consignor; described as sympathetic to the car's original specification.

The coachwork was refinished in Silver Gray Metallic (DB 180), and race number 424 was applied to the doors, bonnet, and rear deck lid using a black adhesive material with a brushed finish.

Carried out in conjunction with the 2021 mechanical restoration by Coratelli; workshop is located in Barbengo.

Structural damage to the front-left frame was addressed: the front cross member and steering beam were removed and reinstated to factory specification, deviations from factory standards corrected, two of twenty inspected chassis tubes replaced, the rear axle housing renewed, and the full chassis sandblasted, painted, and refitted.

Work was carried out in Stuttgart following the car's dispatch to Mercedes-Benz Heritage in late 2024; chassis material was tested at 24 locations with no anomalies found, and a formal certification was issued upon completion.

A body-on restoration was carried out, covering a full repaint and a refresh of the cabin with blue leather trim.

Performed during the tenure of the West Coast-based collector; colour was returned to the original Silver Gray Metallic at this stage.