1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing

This particular 300SL Gullwing is one of the most famous of all British Gullwings as it is RYT 28, the press car, that was completed on the 5th of December 1955 and delivered new in January 1956 to Mercedes-Benz (GB) at Camberwell. This information is documented in both the chassis records and in Michael Frostick’s book The Mighty Mercedes which documents all of the approximately 59 Gullwings delivered new to the UK. RYT 28 was used and driven by the staff at Mercedes-Benz (GB), and is well remembered by them. A conversation with Roger Edwards, who served his apprenticeship at Mercedes-Benz and is now a noted SL specialist, revealed that the car returned to the company for regular service and maintenance long after it had been sold, and although it had been sold to a private individual, it was still known as ‘our car’ by the staff at the Camberwell site and later at Brentford.

In April 1956 RYT 28 was the main feature of an article titled “On British...