As the beneficiary of a thorough ‘body-off’ restoration completed in 2013, this matching numbers 300SL ‘Gullwing’ Coupe has been well cared for since new and is presented today in its original colors of silver gray metallic over traditional blue plaid cloth seats with a blue vinyl dash. Owned for over half-a-century by one the Gullwing Group International’s earliest enthusiast members, this car has a well known history from new and is accompanied by books, tools, fitted matching luggage, belly pans, copy of factory data card and original California yellow and black plates.
Highlights
- Restored in original colors
- Matching numbers
- California ownership from new until 2013
- One owner car for 53 years
- Chassis no. 198.040.5500634
- Engine no. 198.980.5500687
- Body no. 198.040.5500613
- DB 180 silver gray metallic
- L1 blue vinyl/blue plaid interior
- Becker Mexico radio
- Fitted matching luggage
- Belly pans
- Owners manual, tools and jack
- Original 1956 California yellow plate
- Original 1960 California black plate
- Restoration photos in file
- Robust service receipts file
- Copy of factory data card
- 66,253 miles
Prototypical ‘Gullwing’ Coupe
As one of 1,400 W198 production coupes produced, 300SL Gullwing chassis 5500634 was completed by Mercedes-Benz on August 15th, 1955 and shipped several weeks later on September 1st to the United States, destined for Distributor Max Hoffman in New York. As per its accompanying factory supplied data card, when 5500634 left Mercedes-Benz in the summer of 1955, the car was dressed as it is today in the prototypical racing livery of the 1952 championship winning factory race cars, painted DB 180 silver gray metallic with blue plaid cloth seats and a blue vinyl dash. The car was supplied with instruments in English and was fitted with Dunlop tires mounted on 5×15″ wheels manufactured by KPZ.
As was the case with many W198 production cars, this 300SL “Gullwing” Coupe was sold to its first private owner in sunny Southern California, retaining to this day its original 1956 California Yellow Plate along with its later installed original 1960 California Black Plate reading “CCL 300”. In 1957, Gullwing chassis 5500634 was reportedly traded back by its original owner to Mercedes-Benz of Hollywood, the dealership which sold the car new. The second owner of this Gullwing, J.W. Myrich of Santa Monica, California, is said to have purchased the car from Mercedes-Benz of Hollywood and owned it for an 18 month period. On Feb 20th, 1960, with 59,000 miles showing on the odometer, J.W. Myrick would sell 300SL chassis 5500634 to James J. McCarthy of Pleasanton, California.
As an early member of the now famous Gullwing Group International, James McCarthy spent most of his life as owner of chassis 5500634. The car remained with him at his home in Pleasanton from 1960 onward, for the next 50 years seeing relatively limited use complimented by attentive care and storage. In 2009, McCarthy brought the Gullwing to Reno, Nevada where a long-planned restoration project was undertaken to refresh the car back to pristine glory. Jim McCarthy owned chassis 5500634 from the spring of 1960 until May of 2013, noting that in his entire 53 years of ownership, he only put about 6,000 miles of use on the car.
The comprehensive “body-off” restoration of chassis 5500634 took several years to complete, finding completion in 2013. Mechanical work, including the transmission and engine rebuild, was performed by Marx Mercedes Service, a well-known and respected veteran 300SL mechanical service facility located in Costa Mesa, California. Further to the pedigree of the mechanical restoration of the car, Palo Alto Speedometer rebuilt and refinished all seven gauges to original specifications while the fuel injection system was overhauled by Pacific Fuel Injection Service of San Francisco, California. The overseeing, management and cosmetic portion of the restoration, including bodywork, paint, interior, chassis preparation and general assembly work was performed by B+T Restoration of Reno, Nevada. In pursuit of a truly authentic restoration, all parts for work done on the car were supplied by the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Irvine, California. Photos documenting the thorough restoration work performed on the car between 2009 and 2013 are part of the extensive file that accompanies the car today.
In 2014, Gullwing chassis 5500634 was sold for a then-world-record price for a car of its kind at an eye-popping price of $2,090,000 at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale. Since 2014, the car has resided with its fourth private owner, for the first time outside the confines of the State of California in the dry desert climate of Arizona. During this most recent ownership tenure, the car has been driven less than 100 miles and has been kept in the in a climate-controlled showroom. The Gullwing has received further investment in recent years, receiving a notable tune up by Marx Mercedes. A recent full full service has also been performed by Scott Grundfor Company in December of 2021 along with trimming of the recently installed new rubber in order to refine the factory original fits of the car even further. Of note on inspection by Scott Grundfor Company, the car has been found to retain all original stampings and tags. The car is equipped with restored original belly pans and is a “matching numbers” example throughout including engine, chassis, body, transmission, rear end and front axles and all 5 KPZ wheels are original to the car.
Owned for over a half century by one of the Gullwing Group’s earliest enthusiast members, this matching numbers 300SL Gullwing Coupe has a well known history of life in California from new as documented in the Gullwing Group Registry and is presented today in its original colors of Mercedes “racing silver” over traditional blue plaid seats with a blue vinyl dash. The car comes with fitted matching luggage, books, tools, original 1956 California yellow plate, original 1960 California black plate, restored belly pans along with comprehensive service records and a full slate of photos from the “body off” restoration completed in 2013. Chassis 5500634 is the recipient of a high quality and thorough restoration, having seen just 500 miles of driving use since completion with recent servicing and sorting work performed by Scott Grundfor Company to ensure an excellent road going experience. A high integrity 300SL Gullwing in iconic original silver livery, ready for its next long-term owner to use and enjoy.
