Final Alloy Bodied 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing Discovered
41 replies, posted
[quote]Rudi Koniczek and the people that make Rudi & Co. are a part of a tiny niche within a niche of automotive enthusiasts. They are restorers and classic car barn finders, traveling across the world for leads and clues that will reunite them with rare vintage cars thought to be lost forever.
Their most recent adventure has brought the group to a garage door step in Santa Monica, California. The relic in question is the last remaining alloy bodied 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing needed to complete the recovery of all 29 ever produced.
When Koniczek approached this 300SL, he knew the search was over when the metal didn’t stick to a magnet he ran across the body. While the other 28 Mercedes-Benz 300SL alloy bodied coupes are all accounted for, this particular chassis (#21) has stayed hidden for approximately forty years.
The fastest car of its time, the Mercedes-Benz 300SL remains an icon and a legend today. The 29 alloy bodied 300SLs pushed the envelop even further as it was lighter and faster than the standard model. Lighter alloy body panels replaced steel and Plexiglas windows replaced glass while a high-lift cam, stronger brakes and a modified suspension set up enhanced the 300SL’s performance.
The story behind this particular 300SL Gullwing date all the back to 1955, when the parents of the current owner gave it to him as a college graduation present. A daily driver until the early 1970s, the owner left the car in the garage after its transmission failed.
The owner did make an attempt to repair the vehicle himself, as the Gullwing was found lifted on jacks with its wheels and transmission removed. However, discouraged by the complex German engineering, the car was left untouched since. After that the garage slowly accumulated with large computers and electrical components over the years, which provided Koniczek and his team a bit of a challenge when they removed the vehicle from the garage.
The last alloy bodied 300SL is now relocated to Victoria, British Columbia, where Koniczek and his team will begin restoration on the car early next year. In the past, Koniczek has restored almost a hundred 300SL sports cars during his forty years in business, including the 300SL alloy bodies serial number one through six.[/quote]
[img]http://www.autoguide.com/gallery/gallery.php/d/432431-2/gw_1035.jpg[/img]
[url=http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2011/10/final-alloy-bodied-1955-mercedes-300sl-gullwing-discovered.html]**SOURCE**[/url]
Fuck the car. There's a complete PDP hidden in that garage. I can see one of the half-racks of RK-07 disk drives next to the drivers side door. :v:
I just got a boner for that Merc
Is it normal to have a boner after seeing this?
Just the mention of the car gave me a boner.
That is by far the best looking mercedes I've ever seen
I love discoveries like this, makes it feel like there is still mystery in this world :unsmith:
Imagine the money that guy comes from that they gave him an alloy 300SL gullwing...and he does a 'meh' when he can't fix the tranny and leaves it sitting in the garage with boxes of crap.
[QUOTE=MIPS;32707105][b]Fuck the car. There's a complete PDP hidden in that garage. I can see one of the half-racks of RK-07 disk drives next to the drivers side door.[/b] :v:[/QUOTE]
[img]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3965132/shit%20past%201013/reactions/MIPS.png[/img]
Wonder how much it will be worth after it's completely restored
[QUOTE=cecilbdemodded;32707618]... and leaves it sitting in the garage with [B]boxes of crap[/B].[/QUOTE]
"Boxes of crap" Don't like the weather.
[img]http://www.shiresoft.com/pdp-11/rescue/ivy1.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=MIPS;32707837]"Boxes of crap" Don't like the weather.
[img]http://www.shiresoft.com/pdp-11/rescue/ivy1.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]
Racks, the perfect vine growing environment
Noooo those racks are getting ruined!
[QUOTE=GameDev;32707791]Wonder how much it will be worth after it's completely restored[/QUOTE]
"$1.1M to $1.5M USD"
[url]http://www.spiritedauto.com/how-to-spot-a-w198-worth-buying/[/url]
Man, as a car enthusiast, if I was given such a machine I would go to the ends of the earth to get it repaired.
Holy fuck, an alloy Gullwing Merc. It's one of my dream cars.
[QUOTE=dbk21894;32707932]Noooo those racks are getting ruined![/QUOTE]
don't worry hes got racks on rack on racks
A relic of a time when more things were beautiful.
Good god, in their prime those things were true works of art. I hope a good restorer breathes some life into her :unsmith:
[img]http://www.performance-car-guide.co.uk/images/L-1955-Mercedes-Benz-300SL-Gullwing-Coupe.jpg[/img]
For some reason I can't get excited about cars. They are just cars to me, nothing special.
[QUOTE=Dopey Trout;32733875]A relic of a time when more things were beautiful.
Good god, in their prime those things were true works of art. I hope a good restorer breathes some life into her :unsmith:
[img]http://www.performance-car-guide.co.uk/images/L-1955-Mercedes-Benz-300SL-Gullwing-Coupe.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]
So incredibly shine.
Hope they can restore it completly.
[QUOTE=BenJammin';32734067]For some reason I can't get excited about cars. They are just cars to me, nothing special.[/QUOTE]
what a shame
Why don't they make cars that look like that anymore?
[QUOTE=BenJammin';32734067]For some reason I can't get excited about cars. They are just cars to me, nothing special.[/QUOTE]
arts just pigment on paper
computers are just wires and shit
etc
[QUOTE=BenJammin';32734067]For some reason I can't get excited about cars. They are just cars to me, nothing special.[/QUOTE]I used to be that way
Then I watched a shitload of Top Gear.
[QUOTE=BenJammin';32734067]For some reason I can't get excited about cars. They are just cars to me, nothing special.[/QUOTE]
Driving isn't for everyone.
[QUOTE=squids_eye;32734556]Why don't they make cars that look like that anymore?[/QUOTE]
Weight.
Edit:
Oh and safety
It's funny seeing all the car enthusiasts practically falling over themselves for "classic" car designs. Rose-tinted glasses for an era they were never a part of. Modern cars are just too "mainstream". :rolleyes:
[QUOTE=ChristopherB;32736431]It's funny seeing all the car enthusiasts practically falling over themselves for "classic" car designs. Rose-tinted glasses for an era they were never a part of. Modern cars are just too "mainstream". :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]
There's a lot of really good modern cars. It's just that classic cars are exactly that, classic. It's history and something that will never return. Kinda like an old artwork, it's irreplaceable.
I would seriously murder someone if i could get my hands on one of these fully restored. Although i'd seriously heatshield the floor, i heard they get so hot they'll melt and glue your shoes to the floor after a while
[QUOTE=ChristopherB;32736431]It's funny seeing all the car enthusiasts practically falling over themselves for "classic" car designs. Rose-tinted glasses for an era they were never a part of. Modern cars are just too "mainstream". :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]
There are cars being made right this second that will be considered classics some day in the future. If you have some impression it's just because it's old, you're wrong. There were many Mercedes made before that car, at the same time as that car, and right after that car that are not considered classics. Being an old model Mercedes isn't what makes it special.
[QUOTE=BenJammin';32734067]For some reason I can't get excited about cars. They are just cars to me, nothing special.[/QUOTE]
[img]http://www.breakpointservers.com/Smileys/sa/vd.gif[/img]
[QUOTE=cecilbdemodded;32736744]There are cars being made right this second that will be considered classics some day in the future. If you have some impression it's just because it's old, you're wrong. There were many Mercedes made before that car, at the same time as that car, and right after that car that are not considered classics. Being an old model Mercedes isn't what makes it special.[/QUOTE]
Just to be clear, I'm basing my observation on the general reverence I've seen enthusiasts exhibit for old vehicles, not just on this particular article. I appreciate the sentiment in regards to truly iconic cars, but it is the general attitude that "older 'x' is better" that amuses me. Comments like the ones below give me the impression that enthusiasts are obsessed with older vehicles primarily because of their age.
[QUOTE]Why don't they make cars that look like that anymore?[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]A relic of a time when more things were beautiful.[/QUOTE]
My younger brother has a fierce passion for 70-80's music and is quick to dismiss modern music; I suspect my brother developed this opinion based on our father's musical preferences that he picked up from being a teenager during those years. I'm no Freud, but my theory is that some people will form their opinions on topics to suit their parents' tastes to gain their respect, to build a connection. Hence, rose-tinted glasses. It's not really anything to be ashamed of, many of our tastes, political views, and personality traits are a result of how we are raised.
Since there is no objective measure of quality for these topics it seems rather foolish to vehemently argue about such things, but that doesn't stop nostalgic people from being highly critical of modern cultural works.
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