By the summer of 1945, the ravages of WWII had reduced the factories of Daimler-Benz to almost nothing. As Allied-occupied Germany began to recover, limited, supervised production began with the humble 170V sedan, and with it, the heartbeat of Mercedes-Benz rose from the ashes. Soon thereafter, with Mercedes-Benz’s top brass wishing to reestablish the company’s prewar dominance, designers and engineers received clearance to develop what would become the luxurious 300 series – utilizing a new three-liter six-cylinder engine that would soon play a pivotal role. A swift return to racing was seen as another key to the company’s recovery, and Mercedes-Benz was soon making strides toward that end.\n\nFollowing the debut of the 300 in April 1951, engineer and head of Mercedes-Benz passenger car design Rudolf Uhlenhaut, together with a delegation from the company’s racing department, weighed all of the options available to economically develop a new sports car that utilized components from current and past projects. The 300 Series engine was deemed strong enough to be used as the basis for a racing engine, however, due to the engine’s relatively high weight, the rest of the car had to be made as light as possible. In search of the optimal design, Uhlenhaut retrieved a drawing he had made during the war of a lightweight space frame with great torsional rigidity that rose to a peak just ahead of the firewall. In 1952, the hastily prepared, carbureted W194 300 SL Gullwing race cars made a stunning debut at Le Mans, capturing 1st and 2nd place, with another 1-2 finish at the grueling Carrera Panamericana that same year.\n\nThe racing success of the factory team had a measurable effect on Mercedes-Benz sales in the US. Yet without a production car clearly related to the race-winning machines, the marketing advantage of the immensely costly racing effort was limited. Accordingly, Mercedes-Benz management approved the 300 SL road-car project in early 1953, after US distributor Max Hoffman’s firm made a commitment to purchase 500 of the cars. Mercedes-Benz engineers spent much of the next year revising the 300 SL into an automobile fit for public release. Chiefly, it was fitted with fuel injection, which significantly raised its horsepower; it also received a beautifully finished interior, a modicum of luggage space, and of course, the elegantly designed wide grille with the three-pointed star gracing the center – a version of which can be found on sporting Mercedes-Benz cars to this day.\n\nThe first 300 SL coupes left the factory in late 1954. The very first to ship was rushed to the talented and influential American racer Briggs Cunningham, who had recognized the car’s potential for racing success. This was indicative of the company’s marketing plan for the groundbreaking new sports car: that 300 SLs be regarded as dual-purpose road and racing cars for both professional and amateur drivers. Further, the factory ensured that the 300 SL was accepted by the FIA for international competition.\n\nAs a result, the production Gullwing could be special ordered with an optional all-aluminum body. When chosen, many additional competition-focused upgrades followed suit: a more aggressive camshaft was fitted, along with stiffer, shorter springs that lowered the car, while wider, racing-specification tires promoted better adhesion. Plexiglas windows and vented brake drums were also featured in the package. Taken altogether, these modifications fundamentally enhanced the driving dynamics of the 300 SL. Modified suspension function, higher horsepower, and a lower center of gravity – in addition to the more than 200 lbs. of weight savings – all combined to create a considerably more responsive car than the standard production version when driven at the limit. These modifications combined made the car more competitive on racing circuits. Returning to racing may have been the stated mission of Mercedes-Benz management, but winning those races was the real goal.\n\nIn all, just 29 aluminum-bodied 300 SLs were ordered and built – approximately 2% of total Gullwing production. The third such lightweight Gullwing, the car presented here, chassis 5500189, quickly found its way into the hands of a high-profile, aspiring young racing driver, Lawrence “Lance” Graf von Haugewitz-Handerberg-Reventlow. As the son of a Danish Count, and the Woolworth & Co. heiress Barbara Hutton, famously dubbed “the world’s richest woman,” Lance Reventlow quite literally had the world at his feet – and his true passion was found in sports cars in his mid-teens. The later success of his brilliantly designed and incredibly beautiful Scarabs in the late 1950s prompted Ferrari to build the 412MI to beat them. He once stated that he sought to pick up where Briggs Cunningham left off in terms of constructing a race car to beat Ferrari with an American-constructed car; his influence on racing continued well beyond his unfortunately short lifetime. Lance Reventlow’s endeavors inspired the likes of Carroll Shelby and his Cobras, Dan Gurney’s Eagles and the AAR racing program, and many of Reventlow’s own engineers went on to build the early Chaparrals for a similarly determined and talented Jim Hall.\n\nAt the beginning of the road to that legacy lay the 1955 racing season in Southern California, and the arrival of the 300 SL Gullwing on American shores was perfectly timed for Reventlow and his racing compatriot Bruce Kessler. With his fame, good looks, and immense wealth, Reventlow was a perfect fit for Mercedes-Benz’s plan to get highly visible drivers on racetracks with their new sports car.\n\nMercedes-Benz of Hollywood – a factory-owned retail outlet – struck a deal with Reventlow to provide him a Gullwing to race at local events. The dealership’s sales manager sent Reventlow and Kessler to Mercedes-Benz main receiving warehouse in San Francisco to collect a recently imported Gullwing, instructing the pair to bring along a magnet and select the silver car to which the magnet would not stick. They returned to Los Angeles with 5500189 and Reventlow almost immediately had the Gullwing’s exterior refinished in dark blue metallic and the front bumper removed in preparation for the upcoming season of competition.\n\nEach just 19 years old, Reventlow and Kessler entered the Gullwing with success at popular Southern California racing events, honing their driving skills. According to the Racing Sports Cars archive, Reventlow finished 2nd in the over 1,500 cc class at the Salinas SCCA Regionals in October 1955. An overall victory followed two weeks later at Torrey Pines, with Kessler at the wheel. The pair continued to campaign the Gullwing at circuits such as Glendale and Palm Springs, with a return to Torrey Pines in January of 1956; by this time, the car had received a white noseband and “Equipe L. Reventlow” livery on the front fender.\n\nThat season, Reventlow was interviewed by Sports Cars Illustrated and, when asked about the character of the Gullwing, gave a glowing review: “It’s really two cars in one… One is a lamb and the other is a raging lion. And you can turn them off and on with a touch on the throttle. You can putter around town for a year and never call on the fierce side of the car’s dual personality. But the instant you want that real wild performance, it’s there.”\n\nIn early 1956, Reventlow retired the Gullwing from its racing duties. According to an accompanying historical report, Mercedes-Benz of Hollywood had the car refurbished, and it was subsequently acquired by Dr. Oscar Fodor of Seattle, Washington. It may have been as early as this period that 5500189’s original engine was replaced with another early 1955 date-coded engine. It was later fitted with an NSL-style camshaft and restamped with this car’s original engine number, 5500210, which remains in the car today. In a contemporary interview, Dr. Fodor’s daughter Susan recalled gleeful childhood ice cream runs with the Gullwing’s doors fully open. Sometime later, Dr. Fodor traded the 300 SL to D. Blair Hamilton, proprietor of Classic and Thoroughbred Motorcars of Vancouver, for a new Jensen Interceptor. The car, by then refinished in its original silver, was driven extensively by Mr. Hamilton and resided on his dealership’s showroom floor during the later years of his ownership.\n\nIn the 1970s, local enthusiast Peter Waschke, after having lost a bid on a significant Vancouver-area home, purchased the Gullwing from Mr. Hamilton’s dealership with the extra cash he unexpectedly had on hand. After a few years of ownership, Mr. Waschke sold the car to Dr. Gerhard Winkler, who maintained residences in both Atlanta, Georgia and Bonn, Germany. Following a lengthy period of ownership, Dr. Winkler consigned the competition-bred Gullwing to auction in Paris in early 2006, where it was acquired by a noted private European collector.\n\nSoon thereafter, 5500189 returned to its old stomping grounds in the Pacific Northwest when it was acquired by enthusiast Dennis Daugs of Seattle. Mr. Daugs enlisted the noted 300 SL experts at Rudi & Company of nearby Vancouver Island to refinish the Gullwing’s aluminum coachwork in its original German Racing Silver (DB 180).\n\nFor the past 16 years, 5500189 has resided in a highly respected private collection in the southern US. Seldom seen in public, this highly significant Gullwing has been exercised and maintained by knowledgeable specialists. A majority of its interior displays beautifully patinated Roser surface-dyed red leather.\n\nFulfilling a top-tier directive to return Mercedes-Benz to competition in the postwar era, the alloy Gullwings that raced in period realized their intended purpose and today occupy a place of immense historical importance. They represent a tiny fraction of the production of one of the most culturally and technologically innovative automobile models ever made. Chassis 5500189, with its pivotal role in Lance Reventlow’s accomplishments, resides among this rarified group and, as such, its significance is difficult to overstate. For anyone seeking a truly momentous 300 SL with the most desirable specification and documented history, this lightweight silver Gullwing more than fulfills the wish.
\n*Please note that this vehicle is titled as 5500189.
"}},"exhibitionHighlights":null,"raceHighlights":["SCCA Regionals, Salinas, California, October 1955, Reventlow (2nd)","Torrey Pines 6 Hours, California, October 1955, Reventlow/Kessler, No. 22 (DNF)","Torrey Pines Over 1,500 CC, California, October 1955, Kessler, No. 22 (1st Overall)","SCCA National, Glendale, California, November 1955, Kessler, No. 216 (DNF)","SCCA National, Glendale, California, November 1955, Reventlow, No. 216 (3rd)","Palm Springs Road Races, California, December 1955, Reventlow, No. 216 (9th)","Torrey Pines Over 1,500 CC, California, 1956, Kessler, No. 16 (DSQ)"],"provenance":["Loaned new to Lawrence “Lance” Reventlow and Bruce Kessler by Mercedes-Benz","Dr. Oscar Fodor, Seattle, Washington (acquired by 1964)","D. Blair Hamilton, Vancouver, Canada (acquired from the above circa 1969)","Peter G. Waschke, Vancouver, Canada (acquired from the above in the mid-1970s)","Dr. R. Gerhard Winkler, Atlanta, Georgia and Bonn, Germany (acquired from the above circa early 1980s)","Private Collection, Switzerland (acquired from the above in 2006)","Dennis Daugs, Seattle, Washington (acquired from the above in 2006)","Current Owner (acquired from the above in 2010)"],"featuredMedia":null,"videoUrl":null,"videoLocation":null},"sraNote":null,"privateSalesPrice":null},"contentfulPrivateSaleListing":null,"allContentfulSponsor":{"nodes":[]}},"pageContext":{"id":"5FseDjFMiEiaD0qB5fUVfC","prev":"1984-mercedes-benz-280-sl-rn26","next":"1950-jaguar-xk120-roadster-rn26","isArchived":false}},"staticQueryHashes":["1232715398","1367687668","2137735939","3669514401","4217005422","63159454"]}