1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing

This 1956 300SL Gullwing Coupe was ordered new and imported by A.M. Capurro, the official importer and dealer for Morris, Austin, Triumph, Jaguar, Austin Rover and Land Rover in Gibraltar. This was likely the only 300SL sold new to Gibraltar, a small British territory at the southern tip of Spain. Capurro chose a unique specification for his Gullwing, ordering it in Light Blue Metallic paint over a white leather interior with blue piping. This is the only Gullwing built to this specification. It is also one of only 67 Gullwings ordered in this colour; one of 9 for 1956. This Gullwing was also optioned with bumper overriders, a two-piece set of fitted luggage, a Becker “Le Mans” radio with Reims shortwave adapter and a Hirschmann antenna. Capurro also specified a 3.25 rear axle ratio, best suited for long road trips and for achieving the highest possible top speed. This axle ratio was not very commonly selected by customers and is quite rare to find on delivery sheets.

This Gullwing comes with an extensive history file dating back to 1967. At that time the car is domiciled in London, UK under the ownership of Mr. Charles Edward Parnell. Parnell was born in 1924 and we know very little about him other than he had residences at 8 Title Street in Chelsea, and 3 Cathcart Road, Chelsea; he also had an office at 9 Devonshire Square in downtown London. Parnell owned the Gullwing until he decided to sell via British Car Auctions Limited. It was then purchased by a gentleman in Fresno, California, who left it to his grandson, in 2001.

Under Parnell’s ownership this Gullwing was overseen for any maintenance by Mr. Michael W. Gardiner. Gardiner handled taking the Gullwing in for service or any kind of repair work for the duration of Parnell’s ownership. It was regularly serviced at Purely Way Motors. Parnell had the Gullwing registered with number plate UJN 155, which we still have with the car today. Parnell had the engine out for servicing twice: first time to replace seals and the injection pump in 1967; and the second time to replace a broken camshaft in 1969.

While in Fresno it appears the Gullwing was not driven often as there are very few records from their tenure; most relating to their preparation to sell the car in 2014. We acquired the Gullwing from them in January of 2015 and sold it to a private collector. Prior to delivering the vehicle to him we had the engine overhauled by Rudi & Company (now Coachwerks Restorations). He added less than 2,500 miles to the car since that rebuild. We now have this Gullwing back in inventory and are offering it for sale as of July, 2023.

RECORDED MILEAGE

1956-04-26 – 76 miles – mileage at completion in Stuttgart

1967-12-13 – 81,704 miles – engine out – major tuning, new injection pump, new seals

1968-03-06 – 82,604 miles

1968-03-11 – 82,652 miles

1968-05-07 – 82,969 miles

1969-04-21 – 84,357 miles – camshaft broken – engine out for repair

1971-03-26 – 84,745 miles

1972-03-30 – 87,241 miles

1972-09-08 – 88,275 miles

1973-03-20 – 88,280 miles

1975-01-24 – 95,869 miles

1975-01-27 – 95,869 miles – believe car was no longer driven regularly from this point on

2014-01-19 – 97,011 miles

2014-03-26 – 97,011 miles

2014-01-19 – 97,056 miles

2015-01-29 – 97,085 miles

2015-06-11 – 97,400 miles (Rudi & Company engine rebuild & 300 miles added)

2023-06-30 – 99,535 miles

Price in USD unless otherwise stated. Price does not include taxes for Canadian residents.
Silver Arrow Cars Ltd. Dealer # 40218