955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, Special order Gullwing for first owner, Ms. Connie Lovejoy, a sports car racing enthusiast from Salisbury, Connecticut. Ordered new via the distributor, Max Hoffmann in New York. The order was placed in the early Summer of 1955 and the vehicle completed on August 24th, and delivered three days later on August 27th, of 1955. Early in the car’s life, Ms. Lovejoy had the color changed from its original DB 50 White to DB 180 Silver. Ms. Lovejoy was an enthusiastic lover of sports cars and all things motor related. Interestingly enough, she campaigned a successful Trans Am-prepared Camaro at venues such as Lime Rock and Bridgehampton later in the 1960s. At that time, she sold this 300SL to John Igleheart of Redding, Connecticut who retained it for over 20 years and many thousands of miles before selling it to noted 300 SL enthusiast Peter Thomas, regarded word-wide as not only an expert on all things 300SL related but also likely to be the single individual who has owned more 300SLs than any other. In the late 1980s, Smythe European, in San Jose, acquired this matching-numbers Gullwing from Thomas. Al Weber, a Silicon Valley-based executive then purchased the car. It then received new paint, chrome and a full new interior, and the engine bay was thoroughly detailed. By the time the work was complete, Mr. Weber had relocated to the Midwest, where the car was then sent. Mr. Weber used the car infrequently over the next few years due to time commitments and, in the mid-1990s, sold it back to Smythe European in California.
This beautiful restored Gullwing had been in the hands of its last owner for the past 12 years. Throughout his ownership, the 300 SL has seen regular use in the San Francisco Bay Area and on the Monterey Peninsula with all services and maintenance faithfully completed and kept constantly up to date. Today, this Gullwing retains the high-quality DB 180 Silver paint it acquired during its restoration and presents very well without any visible fault or flaw. The fully painted wheel centers and outer rims are proper for the car’s specification, as ordered, and the front maker lenses are the rare Gullwing-only clear units. All wheels including the spare are correctly date coded from June and July of 1955, shortly before this 300SL was completed. Inside, the proper square-weave carpets along with the headliner were installed in the 1990s per factory patterns by Chad Hunt, a former Gullwing Group Club president and noted 300 SL authority. Likewise, the red leather seats and doorsills are clearly the work of an expert 300 SL trimmer. The dash sparkles with its proper fittings, including a working Becker Mexico "signal Seeking" radio installed beneath, and color-keyed safety belts have been added. The engine compartment has a correct stock appearance, featuring the proper semi-gloss and rough, sand-cast surfaces that were so often lost to interpretive restorations of the period. The original tools as well as a set of books and incredibly beautiful fitted luggage further compliment this 300SL.
We have driven this vehicle frequently and can state with enthusiasm, that it starts on the button, has great power and provides an exhilarating drive with few if any equals! The whine of the gears in the first, second and third ratios, as well as the distinctive Gullwing exhaust note attest to the motorsports racing heritage of the 300 SL. This 300SL has just been given a complete and thorough inspection and evaluation. The engine compression and leak-down tests have been completed and verified that all cylinders are showing excellent even compression and leak-down numbers confirming a tight and well broken in engine with excellent power and performance. All services are current and up to date and this 300SL is ready for any manner of spirited touring and rallying one might desire.
This is a "matching numbers" example without any sign of rust or accident damage. It is fully restored with no known cosmetic or mechanical defects and it is ready for all manner of enjoyment and use.
Please email or call me if I can assist further with the inspections and road tests of this very striking and beautifully restored 300SL. bnoon@symbolicmotors.com (619) 840-7811
Nearly 90 high resolution complete sets of inspection photos can be accessed using this link: http://symbolicphotos.weebly.com
This beautiful restored Gullwing had been in the hands of its last owner for the past 12 years. Throughout his ownership, the 300 SL has seen regular use in the San Francisco Bay Area and on the Monterey Peninsula with all services and maintenance faithfully completed and kept constantly up to date. Today, this Gullwing retains the high-quality DB 180 Silver paint it acquired during its restoration and presents very well without any visible fault or flaw. The fully painted wheel centers and outer rims are proper for the car’s specification, as ordered, and the front maker lenses are the rare Gullwing-only clear units. All wheels including the spare are correctly date coded from June and July of 1955, shortly before this 300SL was completed. Inside, the proper square-weave carpets along with the headliner were installed in the 1990s per factory patterns by Chad Hunt, a former Gullwing Group Club president and noted 300 SL authority. Likewise, the red leather seats and doorsills are clearly the work of an expert 300 SL trimmer. The dash sparkles with its proper fittings, including a working Becker Mexico "signal Seeking" radio installed beneath, and color-keyed safety belts have been added. The engine compartment has a correct stock appearance, featuring the proper semi-gloss and rough, sand-cast surfaces that were so often lost to interpretive restorations of the period. The original tools as well as a set of books and incredibly beautiful fitted luggage further compliment this 300SL.
We have driven this vehicle frequently and can state with enthusiasm, that it starts on the button, has great power and provides an exhilarating drive with few if any equals! The whine of the gears in the first, second and third ratios, as well as the distinctive Gullwing exhaust note attest to the motorsports racing heritage of the 300 SL. This 300SL has just been given a complete and thorough inspection and evaluation. The engine compression and leak-down tests have been completed and verified that all cylinders are showing excellent even compression and leak-down numbers confirming a tight and well broken in engine with excellent power and performance. All services are current and up to date and this 300SL is ready for any manner of spirited touring and rallying one might desire.
This is a "matching numbers" example without any sign of rust or accident damage. It is fully restored with no known cosmetic or mechanical defects and it is ready for all manner of enjoyment and use.
Please email or call me if I can assist further with the inspections and road tests of this very striking and beautifully restored 300SL. bnoon@symbolicmotors.com (619) 840-7811
Nearly 90 high resolution complete sets of inspection photos can be accessed using this link: http://symbolicphotos.weebly.com