One to Buy: 1 of 1 ex-Ramfis Trujillo 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing
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Considering its substantial price and seemingly limited market, the fact that Mercedes managed to sell 1400 examples of the W198 300 SL Gullwing between 1954 and ‘57 remains truly remarkable.
Back then, sales figures for even the most popular Ferraris, Maseratis and Aston Martins rarely broached three figures as old-fashioned production techniques reliant on outside suppliers of major components kept prices high and availability low.
By contrast, Mercedes manufactured practically everything for the Gullwing in-house which had the knock-on effect of ensuring the 300 SL offered industry-leading build quality.
However, it wasn’t just the standard and manner of its construction that ensured the Gullwing was such a success – without its sensational looks, outstanding performance and innovative engineering, Mercedes would have stood no chance against such illustrious rivals.
Despite having parted with a not inconsiderable sum to acquire their Gullwing, most buyers opted to go with standard Silver Grey paint as opposed to one of the many alternative colour schemes that Mercedes offered at extra cost.
However, one car that was originally completed in an exceedingly unusual combination was this example which is currently residing at the Thiesen Automobile showroom in Hamburg.
The handsomely configured car, believed one of one, was originally delivered in 1957 to Ramfis Trujillo, the playboy son of Dominican Republic dictator, Rafael Trujillo.
On May 30th 1961, Rafael Trujillo was assassinated when his car was ambushed on a road outside Santo Domingo. Ramfis subsequently assumed power, supporting a puppet president, but he fled to Europe on the family yacht few months later leaving the treasury $200m light.
Having settled in Spain, Trujillo died in 1969 owing to injuries sustained after crashing his Ferrari 330 GT.
As for his unique Mercedes, the car returned to Europe in 2009 where it underwent an extensive, well-documented restoration by renowned marque specialists. According to the car’s factory data card, the engine, transmission, rear axle, steering, differential and front axle all correspond to the original delivery specification.
