Whether it’s the “Gullwing” coupe or the roadster, Mercedes-Benz 300 SLs aren’t exactly common. The company made only 1,858 open-top cars, such as the one we recently chose as our Pick of the Day. Mercedes produced even fewer Gullwings—between 1954 and 1957, only 1,400 of them left the assembly line. The 300 SL Jay Leno drives in the following video is the last one ever built.
If it wasn’t for racing and a visionary businessman, there would be no street-legal 300 SL. In the early 1950s, Mercedes competed in motorsports with its 300 SL race car—and won, claiming victories in Le Mans, the Carrera Panamericana, and at the Nurbringring. According to Mercedes-Benz, U.S.-based importer Max Hoffman “convinced the Board of Management at Daimler-Benz [in 1953] to build a series version of the successful 300 SL racing sports car. Incredibly, just five months later in February 1954, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (W 198) made its sensational debut at the International Motor Sports Show in New York.” Its distinctive gullwing-style doors weren’t just for show—the lightweight tubular spaceframe’s layout required the use of high door sills, which necessitated unconventional doors.
As Matt Malamut, a car specialist at RM Sotheby’s, explains, chassis number 7500079 was built in May 1957 and configured with Fire Engine Red paint over a special-order Crème leather interior. Over the past 68 years, it has only been with four owners, the most of recent of which has had the car for the past 25 years. A few years into their time with this car, they won third place in its class at the 2004 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
After climbing over the high door sills and descending into the leather bucket seats, Leno and Malamut hit the road. Leno remarks, “This doesn’t feel like 1957. You know, it feels like a more modern car.” For being a nearly 70-year-old machine, the 300 SL certainly has some relatively futuristic features, particularly under the hood. The 215-horsepower 3.0-liter inline-six not only has fuel injection, but also direct injection, as well as a dry-sump oiling system, all of which can be found on modern high-performance cars. Flat-out, the 300 SL could hit speeds as high as 155 mph.
Later this year, the last 300 SL ever made will go to a new owner at RM Sotheby’s. That should be a win-win situation. Not only will the high bidder go home with a legendary piece of automotive history, but also part of the proceeds from the sale will benefit amfAR, the American Foundation for AIDS Research.
