1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Coupé

198.040.4500012roadGermany

Engine: 3.0L straight-six (M198), 215 bhp, ~163 mph top speed
Colour: Silver Grey Metallic

Chassis 198.040.4500012 is among the earliest Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwings built, completed on 24 September 1954 and designated as an official show car for the 39th International Motor Exhibition at London's Earls Court. Finished in Silver Grey Metallic, it attracted international press attention and was filmed by British Pathé before being purchased off the stand by Formula 1 privateer team owner Rob Walker, making him the first British customer for the model. Shortly after purchase, the car suffered accident damage during a test drive on the A1 and was returned to Germany for repair. Registered in May 1955 as a Mercedes-Benz GB demonstrator, it subsequently passed through several owners and spent roughly two decades stored in a barn in Sussex. A five-year body-off restoration was completed in 2010, and the car retains matching-numbers chassis, body, and engine alongside its original colour scheme and Rudge centre-lock wheels.

Ownership

—Auction sale
Sold £1,445,000 (≈ $1.81M)
RM Sotheby's catalogue lot →
1954-09-24 → 1954-10-01Factory delivery
Mercedes-Benz (factory / Stuttgart headquarters)
full documentation
Built as a factory show car and driven directly to London for the Earls Court Motor Show display. Never formally sold before the accident.
1954-10-01 → 1954-10-01Private sale
Rob Walker
partial documentation
Purchased directly off the Earls Court show stand, becoming the first British customer for the model, but never took delivery as the car was damaged during a pre-delivery test drive near Hatfield.
1955-05-01 → 1956Acquisition unknown
Mercedes-Benz Great Britain
full documentation
After repair in Germany, the car was first registered for road use in May 1955 and served as a demonstrator for the UK subsidiary, carrying registration RGO 30.
1956 → 1956-08-01Private sale
Noel Carr
partial documentation
Racing driver and part-time car dealer who acquired the car through his firm Carr and Co; held it for approximately seven months before selling it on.
1956-08-24 →Private sale
Charles Gardner
full documentation
First fully private owner; the car spent roughly two decades unused and stored in a barn at his Sussex apple farm before being passed to family members.
→ 2000-10-01Inheritance
Gardner's daughter
partial documentation
Received the car from her father and re-registered it in France during her period of ownership.
2000-10-01 →Acquisition unknown
Gardner's son
partial documentation
Brought the car back to the UK in October 2000 and commissioned a full body-off restoration running from late 2005 to spring 2010; has retained it within the family since.

Competition

No competition history extracted from the catalogue.

Maintenance & restoration

1954Repair
Mercedes-Benz (factory)
Following an accident on the A1 near Hatfield in which the car spun into a tree, the rear bodywork and spare wheel area sustained the principal damage; the vehicle was returned to the Mercedes-Benz factory in Germany for repair.
Work completed before the car was registered for road use in May 1955.
2010
Restoration
A comprehensive body-off rebuild lasting five years from November 2005 to April 2010, returning the car to its original Silver Grey Metallic colour combination. The odometer was reset upon completion.
Commissioned by the consigning family; the car showed approximately 40,483 miles on the odometer before work began.
2015Mechanical
Martin Cushway
Full gearbox rebuild carried out as part of ongoing maintenance following the restoration.
2021Mechanical
HK Engineering
Differential overhaul performed by a specialist workshop.
2024Service
Kevin O'Keeffe
Routine service carried out ahead of the auction consignment; the car also passed an MoT inspection with no advisories recorded.
Kevin O'Keeffe is noted as the marque specialist responsible for repeated servicing of this car since the 2010 restoration.

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