Factory quality bits for your baby
Owning a dream car like a Gullwing isn’t easy. Aside from it being an expensive hobby and passion, finding replacement parts for such a rare car can be downright impossible.
For instance, between 1954 and 1957 only 1,400 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing cars were built. The 300 SL, a designation that stands for Sportlich Leicht (Sport Lightweight), was based on the W196 race car and used a strong, lightweight space frame design. Given the model’s rarity, the chances of finding replacement metal body parts for a Gullwing used to be challenge—until now.
Mercedes-Benz Classic is now offering key reproduction body parts for the 300 SL in factory quality. The most expensive parts to replace are the rear panels, which sell for approximately $17,816.50 each. The cheapest is replacing the rear end center section for about $3,563—plus paint and labor.
Mercedes-Benz Classic says it developed the process in cooperation with a certified supplier using optimized 3D data from original bodies.
Once they are made, the parts are finished the old-fashioned way—by hand using wooden mallets, of course.
“The result of this symbiosis between state-of-the-art production technology and traditional craftsmanship is a high accuracy of fit that minimizes the need for subsequent work on the vehicle,” states Mercedes-Benz Classic’s press release.
Stuttgart brass says the replacement parts can now be ordered by their part numbers from any Mercedes-Benz sales partner in Europe, though there’s no word on when—or if—they will available in the U.S.
Also, if you need to replace your Gullwing’s plaid upholstery, you can also the original fabic in three different color combinations.
Source: Mercedes-Benz Classic
