Clark Gable’s 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe is on sale
by Luxury.Net
Clark Gable’s 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe will be offered at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction in January 2013. Barrett-Jackson has announced that actor Clark Gable’s 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe will be offered at the company’s Scottsdale auction in January. It is said to have ferried Hollywood sex symbols including Marilyn Monroe and Ava Gardner. The car was personally purchased by Gable and is described as a rolling piece of star-studded history. The Scottsdale auction is set for Jan. 13-20 at WestWorld. Gable, who died in 1960, bought the two-seater sports car at Mercedes-Benz of Hollywood with his fifth wife, Kay Spreckel Gable. Barrett-Jackson showed the car at its auction in Las Vegas, which ended Sept. 22 with reported sales of $23 million.
The 300SL Gullwing is one of only 1,400 made and is a production version of the 1952 Le Mans-winning 300SL. The vehicle will cross the auction block as part of the high-end Salon Collection on January 19. There is no estimation on the price it will fetch, although similar vehicles without the Hollywood pedigree go for the north end of six figures. Another one of Gable’s cars, a 1935 Duesenberg Model JN Convertible Coupe was part of Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach auction last month. That car failed to meet the current owner’s reserve and was not sold. That car’s value was said to be in excess of $9 million by Gooding & Company.
King of Hollywood’s 300SL comes equipped with rare Rudge knock-off wheels, fitted luggage, and an impressive Nardi steering wheel. Additionally, the vehicle’s registration cements its provenance, which comes with Clark Gable, and his fifth wife, Kay Sprekels Gable’s signatures. Reportedly, this particular Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing was cherished by Clark for a total of five years, before his death in 1960.
