Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing and Roadster for Sale

Gullwing or Roadster: which 300SL

They share the engine and the badge, and not much of the experience.

The Gullwing coupe, 1954 to 1957

The fixed-roof car with the upward-opening doors, and the one most people picture. Its side windows do not wind down, which makes the cabin a hot place to sit, a practical point in the Gulf. The 29 aluminium-bodied cars are the rarest and most valuable of all, and any car described as one needs factory documentation to match.

The Roadster, 1957 to 1963

Conventional doors, winding windows, a soft top with an optional hardtop and a revised low-pivot rear suspension. It is the easier 300SL to use, and later cars gained disc brakes all round from 1961. For many owners in warm climates, it is the more usable car of the two.

What decides a 300SL's price

Two cars that look identical in photos can be priced very differently. These are the things that separate them:

• Body type: Roadster, steel-bodied Gullwing or aluminium-bodied Gullwing
• Matching numbers: chassis, engine and body numbers against the factory record from Mercedes-Benz Classic
• Originality: original panels, interior and drivetrain against restored or replaced parts, and who did the work
• Ownership history: a continuous, documented chain of owners, ideally back to the first
• Options documented as factory-fitted rather than added later, such as knock-off wheels or fitted luggage
• Structural condition of the spaceframe, which no amount of paint can put right

What to check before you buy

A 300SL deserves a specialist who has had many of them apart. Before any offer, the inspection should cover:

• Spaceframe tubes for corrosion or old repairs, including inside the sills where it is hard to see
• The Bosch mechanical injection pump and injectors, which need a specialist to set up and are costly to rebuild
• Engine number and type against the factory data card, since replacement engines are not unknown on cars this old
• Panel fit, body material and any sign of accident repair, especially on cars described as aluminium-bodied
• Brakes and suspension: drums on the Gullwing and earlier Roadsters, and the rear swing axle set-up on both
• Restoration invoices and photographs, so the quality of past work can be judged, not assumed

Buying a 300SL in Dubai, the Gulf or South Africa

Every 300SL is well past the RTA's 30-year line, so in Dubai it qualifies for classic registration once it passes the technical test, and most cars are left-hand drive, which suits standard UAE registration. Duty is 5% of CIF value plus 5% VAT. See importing a classic car to the UAE for the route and our page for classic Mercedes for sale in Dubai for the rest of the family.

In South Africa, every 300SL clears ITAC's 40-year collector threshold, and since every car was built before 31 December 1965, it can also qualify for the domestic vintage vehicle concessional licence through a SAVVA dating certificate; see importing a classic car to South Africa. In Saudi Arabia, the classic exemption from the 5-year import cap is still unconfirmed, so we check the position for a specific car before anything is bought.

Buying and selling privately

Cars at this level almost never need a public listing. We work privately on both sides: sourcing a specific Gullwing or Roadster for a buyer, and selling for owners who would rather their name and asking price stayed out of a catalogue. Every car goes through the same file: factory records, matching numbers, an inspection by an independent specialist you approve, and payment through escrow against agreed milestones.

Photos and full spec sheets of specific cars are available on request via WhatsApp.