Asked to provide a righthand-drive sports car for an English diplomat in August 1955, Mercedes quickly had 00001’s steering converted. The car was then road-tested before being gifted to the diplomat on October 18, 1955. Curiously, it was registered under its old Werks chassis number, and only 70 years later, when it was restored, did its documentation match its history with the 1955 chassis number.
Unsurprisingly, for a car like this, the true mileage is unknown, but it comes with a replacement 1.9-liter single-cam four-cylinder, silver paint, a blue convertible top, blue leather upholstery, and a body-color hardtop. Sadly, the hardtop was damaged during stripping, so you’ll need to pony up for a restoration.
With eight days to go, the current bidding is $100,000. For a car as beautiful and as special as this, that may be a bargain – especially when a modern-day Mercedes-AMG SL costs more, even in base SL43 form.
