Photos by Pawel Litwinski, courtesy Gooding & Company
As with the Monterey auctions last year, Gooding & Company has once again taken the top sale for a blockbuster auction weekend by selling a rare alloy-bodied Mercedes-Benz 300 SL for $4.62 million, including buyer’s premium, at its Scottsdale auction this past weekend.
The gullwing, chassis number 5500208, is one of 29 that Mercedes-Benz built with a lightweight body designed for racing, though according to the Gooding auction description it was originally sold to a customer in Southern California and never raced. With extensive ownership history dating back to 1980, it was recently treated to a restoration by gullwing restorer Rudi Koniczek (who last year made headlines when he found another alloy-bodied gullwing) for owner Ken McBride of Seattle. It was McBride’s death in 2010 that precipitated the sale of the gullwing at Gooding’s Scottsdale auction. According to Gooding – which placed a $2.5 million to $3 million pre-auction estimate on the car, this was the first alloy-bodied gullwing to come up for sale at public auction in five years.
Bidding reportedly started at $2 million and ended at $4.2 million, with a 10 percent buyer’s premium bringing the total sale price to $4.62 million. Other high-profile sales for Gooding’s Scottsdale auction include a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder that sold for $3.905 million, a 1930 Duesenberg Model J that sold for $2.64 million, and a 1929 Bentley 4-1/2-Litre Dual Cowl Sports Tourer that sold for $2.145 million. Gooding has reported an initial sales total for the weekend of more than $39.8 million, buyer’s premiums included. For more information, visit GoodingCo.com.