Though this car looks like a mid-1950s Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, it’s actually a 2001 Mercedes-Benz SLK320 that has been professionally rebodied.
The SLK makes a good base for a build like this, it has the exact same wheelbase as the 300SL at 1400mm, and its power output is close to identical with 215 bhp vs 220 bhp, and the SLK has a little more torque with 229 lb ft vs 203 lb ft in the Gullwing.
Fast Facts – Mercedes-Benz SLK320 “300SL Gullwing”
- This car is a 2001 Mercedes-Benz SLK320 that has been professionally rebodied to resemble a 1950s Mercedes 300SL Gullwing. It shares the exact wheelbase with the original Gullwing and has a similar power output, making it a solid base for the conversion.
- The first-generation Mercedes-Benz SLK featured a folding metal Vario-Roof and was initially offered with a supercharged 2.0 liter engine. Later models, like the SLK320, received a 3.2 liter V6 with 215 bhp, and AMG introduced a supercharged version with 349 bhp, making it the fastest first-gen SLK.
- The Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, introduced in 1954, was derived from the W194 race car. It was the world’s fastest production car at the time, featuring distinctive gullwing doors, mechanical fuel injection, and a top speed of 162 mph. Only 1,400 were built before the model transitioned to a the Roadster model.
- This custom SLK320 Gullwing replica was completed in 2021 and has just 731 miles on the rebuild. It features a fiberglass body, genuine 300SL trim pieces, a retro-styled 190SL interior, and retains the SLK320’s modern 3.2L V6, six-speed manual transmission, air conditioning, and fully functional period-correct gauges.
The Mercedes-Benz SLK320
The Mercedes-Benz SLK made its debut at the 1994 Turin Motor Show in concept car form, before a second concept car appeared at the Paris Motor Show that same year fitted with the patented new folding metal “electro-hydraulic roof,” named the Vario-Roof by Mercedes. This roof allowed the car to be a full convertible in good weather, and a full tin-top coupe in bad weather, with just a 25 second gap between the two as the roof was either raised or lowered at the press of a button.
The SLK320 was the fastest variant of the model series until the AMG version arrived later, and it offered the performance many drivers wanted – as opposed to the lower-powered 2.0 and 2.3 liter versions. Image courtesy of Mercedes-Benz.
The first production model in the series was the Mercedes SLK230 Kompressor, powered by a 2.3 liter inline-four with a supercharger, producing 190 bhp and 207 lb ft of torque. This car had a 0-62 mph time of 7.7 seconds and it was generally well-received by the buying public, however the motoring press did largely believe that the car deserved more power.
There were a couple of versions of the SLK with a 2.0 liter engine producing less power still at a more affordable price point, and there was a non-supercharged version offered in certain countries to benefit from tax breaks.
Later versions of the SLK would get larger, more powerful engines starting with the SLK320 in 2000 which was good for 215 bhp and 229 lb ft of torque thanks to a larger 3.2 liter Mercedes V6. AMG would build a supercharged version of this car from 2001 onwards, with a much higher output of 349 bhp and 332 lb ft – it would be the fastest production first-gen SLK ever made.
The Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
The Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing was released in 1954 and traced its origins directly back to the Mercedes W194 racing car. It featured a body designed by Friedrich Geiger with distinctive gullwing doors, a necessity as the sides of the chassis were so high that normal swing doors would never have worked.
The 300SL would be the fastest production car in the world at the time of its introduction, with a top speed of up to 260 km/h (162 mph) depending on gearing. It was powered by an advanced-for-the-time straight-six with a single overhead cam and a mechanical direct fuel injection system.
The lines of the 300SL Gullwing are brought to life in this rebody, and very few people who aren’t marque specialists will be able to tell the difference.
1,400 examples of the 300SL Gullwing would be built before it was replaced by the 300SL Roadster, a closely related model with a convertible top. Today, the Gullwing is one of the most collectible classic cars in the world, and its place in history is significant as it helped establish Mercedes as a premium marque in the post-WWII American automotive market.
The 300SL Rebodied Mercedes SLK320 Shown Here
The car you see in this article is a convincing-looking 300SL Gullwing replica, built on the platform of a 2001 Mercedes-Benz SLK320. The car was rebodied during a multi-year project that was completed in 2021, and there are now just 731 miles on the rebuild.
The new fiberglass body is finished in Gray with color-matched 17″ steel wheels with chrome trim rings and faux knock-off hubs. The grille, badging, and wrap-around bumpers were sourced from a real 300SL Gullwing, and the body is fitted with Pilkington Classic glass.
The underpinnings from the SLK320 include the unibody structure and the double-wishbone front suspension as well as the multi-link rear suspension, and the four-wheel ventilated disc brakes.
The interior of the car was sourced from a Mercedes 190SL and it includes fixed-back bucket seats trimmed in Camel leather, color-matched trim, the upper dashboard, center console, and the door panels and sills.
A lot of attention has been paid to the interior as well, it even has the correct flip-down steering wheel for getting in and out over the high sills, and a 4-speed shifter knob even though it’s actually a 6-speed.
It still has air-conditioning and three-point seat belts, as well as a full assortment of period-correct gauges all working with the modern 3.2 liter V6 engine and its 6-speed manual transmission.
The car is now being offered for sale on Bring a Trailer out of Rancho Palos Verdes, California with build photos, a clean Carfax report, and a clean California title describing it as a 2001 Mercedes-Benz convertible. If you’d like to read more or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
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