- An incredibly convincing Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing replica is up for sale.
- The SL lookalike was a 2001 SLK320 before its fiberglass transformation.
- Unlike some replicas, this one even has an authentic interior with a flip-down wheel.
The Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing is a staple of the high-end collector car auction circuit, with good quality cars frequently selling for around $1.5-2 million, making them unaffordable for most folks. But with its near identical wheelbase and bargain price, the late 1990s-early 2000s R170 SLK makes a perfect base for a replica.
And this replica, currently up for grabs on Bring a Trailer, is definitely one of the better ones we’ve seen. It started life as a red 2001 SLK 320 with 37,000 miles (60,000 km) on the clock and over several years was transformed into a passable homage to the Gullwings built by Mercedes between 1954 and 1957.
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Mid-build images show the SLK being cut down ready to receive a fiberglass body complete with flip-up doors, and a metal frame to build up the door sills. Those early shots also show the original SLK dashboard still in place but now, there’s a classic Mercedes gauge setup in there and the owner has even fitted an original-style flip-down steering wheel so that drivers can get their legs behind the wheel when climbing in an out, just like on an original.
The seller claims he’s used lots of genuine parts and had people struggle to spot the difference when parked up alongside real Gullwings and we can believe it. Even the interior – so often the place where replicas fall down – looks right at a glance, though there are a few obvious giveaways that this isn’t the real deal.
The steel wheels give a classic feel and even have fake knock-off spinners, but their holes are different in shape from the ones on a true Gullwing’s magnesium rims. There are also some modern Mercedes switches tucked away under the dash, a modern handbrake, the hood opens the wrong way, and I’m sure there are millions of others.
But this isn’t a ground-up toolroom replica like Jag’s reborn E-Types or Aston’s new DB5s that cost as much as a real Gullwing. It’s a well-executed and fun repurposing of an old SLK, and the 3.2-liter V6’s 215 hp (218 PS) and six-speed ’box mean performance is probably very similar to a real 300 SL’s, but with the added safety bonus of ABS and traction control.
Whoever buys it will fool more than a few people without shelling out millions, but it’ll cost them used supercar money. With five days to go at the time of writing bids had already reached $141,000. What would you pay?
