1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
- Engine
- 3.0L inline-six SOHC with direct mechanical fuel injection, 45-degree canted orientation
- Colour
- DB534 red
Chassis 5500154 is a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing coupe, one of 1,400 produced between 1954 and 1957. Originally delivered to Brussels in March 1955 and finished in silver-grey over blue fabric, the car retains its matching-numbers engine and several early-specification details — bolt-on wheel-arch eyebrows, a Bendix Treadle-Vac brake booster, and period accessories. A cosmetic restoration during American ownership repainted the body in factory-offered DB534 Red, and the interior was subsequently refurbished in tan leather. The car has been in single long-term ownership since 1993.
Ownership
- —Auction saleEstimate US$1,200,000 – US$1,400,000
- 1955-03-01 →Factory deliveryBelgian first ownerpartial documentation
Car delivered new to Brussels; early history in Belgium is largely undocumented.
- → 1975Acquisition unknownHerbert E. Von Fragsteinpartial documentation
Located in Dayton, Ohio; sold the car to Richard H. Grant in 1975 per title copy.
- 1975 → 1993Private saleRichard H. Grantfull documentation
Dayton, Ohio resident; during his ownership a cosmetic restoration was carried out and the exterior repainted from original silver-grey to factory-offered DB534 Red.
- 1993 →Private saleLong-term collector owner from 1993partial documentation
Held the car for many years; interior was redone in natural tan leather with correct carpeting during this period; car driven only occasionally and kept in well-maintained condition.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- —Restoration
Cosmetic restoration carried out, during which the exterior colour was changed from original DB180 silver-grey to factory-offered DB534 Red.
Work is attributed to the period of Richard H. Grant's ownership, believed to have occurred before the 1993 sale.
- —Bodywork
Interior retrimmed using period-correct natural tan leather and square-weave carpeting; presents in good condition at time of cataloguing.
Described as having been done 'some time ago'; timing relative to the 1993 ownership change is not specified.
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