Vehicle Description
Chassis no. 5500263
Purchased by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation in January
1973
Meticulous body-off restoration by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Museum in the late-2000s
Final fit, finish and service work completed by Scott Grundfor Co.
in Arroyo Grande, California in 2022
Displayed in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum Collection
periodically from 2015-2020
Shown as part of the museum's Basement Collection when not
displayed on the main floor
1 of 1,400 produced between 1954 and 1957
U.S. market example shipped from the factory on April 30, 1955
Delivered to Mercedes-Benz Distributors of New York
The only known example delivered in Mittelgrun over Green and Gray
leather
Original matching numbers rebuilt 3.0L fuel injected Inline
6-cylinder engine
Engine block thermal cleaned, bored and honed by Schmidt Automotive
Machine Shop of Indianapolis in 2007
Fuel injection pump rebuilt by Pacific Fuel Injection of San
Francisco in 2008
4-speed manual transmission
Mittlgrun (DB-229G) exterior
Refinished in Beige leather sourced from Landwerlen Leather Co. of
Indianapolis
Seats, dash pad, transmission tunnel and sills trimmed in
leather
Square weave carpets
Correct black rubber footwell mats
Green painted dashboard
Powdercoated frame by Indy Powder Coating of Speedway, Indiana
New body and window seals
Polished brightwork and refinished chrome accents
Sealed-beam headlights
Refinished engine bay
New rubber suspension components
Body-color steel wheels with body color and chrome hubcaps
Michelin tires
Period-correct Michelin X spare tire
Copy of the factory build sheet
Restoration photos and documentation
Correspondence between previous owners
Service receipts from Scott Grundfor Co.
Universally recognized as a design and engineering tour de force in
every respect, the 1954-57 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing continues
to stand as one of the ultimate sports cars ever produced-on either
side of the Atlantic. Bearing Chassis No. 5500263, this stellar
U.S.-market example is not only one of just 1,400 Gullwing coupes
produced in total between 1954 and 1957, but rarer still as the
only car of its kind known to have been finished new in Code
DB-229G Mittelgr�n (Medium Green) over a green and gray
leather-trimmed interior compartment. Shipped from the factory on
April 30, 1955, and delivered to Mercedes-Benz Distributors of New
York, this distinctive 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL was acquired by the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation in January 1973.
During the late 2000s, the venerable Gullwing received a meticulous
body-off restoration by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum,
with final fit, finish and service work completed in 2022 by the
Mercedes-Benz marque specialists at Scott Grundfor Co. in Arroyo
Grande, California. Displayed in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Museum Collection periodically from 2015-2020, the Gullwing was
also shown as part of the museum's fascinating Basement Collection,
when not displayed on the main floor.
Retaining the original, matching-numbers, rebuilt, 3.0L,
fuel-injected, inline 6-cylinder engine, the Gullwing's painstaking
restoration included thermal cleaning of the engine with cylinders
bored and honed by Schmidt Automotive Machine Shop of Indianapolis
in 2007, as well as a rebuild of the all-important fuel-injection
pump performed by Pacific Fuel Injection of San Francisco in 2008.
Of course, a 4-speed manual transmission delivers the engine's
factory-rated 225 HP to the road.
The Gullwing's stylish interior compartment is handsomely
reupholstered in beige leather upholstery sourced from Landwerlen
Leather Co. of Indianapolis, including the seats, dash pad,
transmission tunnel and sills. The green-painted dashboard, proper
square-weave carpets and correct black rubber floor mats
appropriately finish off the Gullwing's interior.
Fine details abound, from the Gullwing's durably powder-coated
frame by Indy Powder Coating of Speedway, Indiana, to the new body
and window seals, polished brightwork and refinished chrome
accents, sealed-beam headlamps, refinished engine bay and new
rubber suspension components. Body-color steel wheels, mounting
chrome hubcaps with body-color accents and period-correct Michelin
X radial tires, appropriately finish the Gullwing off.
Accompanied by a copy of the factory Wagenkarte (build sheet), this
stellar early 300SL Gullwing includes restoration photos and
documentation, correspondence between previous owners and service
receipts from Scott Grundfor Co.
