1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL "Papillon No reserve Swedish registration Chassis no. 198.040 5500641 Engine no. 198.980 5500663 - Beautifully restored by Paul Russell - Fitted with rare original Rudge center-fixed chrome wheels - Original mechanics, known history - Magnificent color combination - No reserve With its tubular chassis, direct-injection 6-cylinder engine, dry sump, Alfin wing brakes, independent wheels and streamlined body, the Mercedes 300 SL was born of racing. The "butterfly" doors that gave the car its name were a marvellous find, not as a result of aesthetic subterfuge, but as a result of the structure of the chassis, which rose high on the sides for maximum rigidity. What was once a constraint became one of the features that would make this car a legend: it deserved it, and enthusiasts were not mistaken. After its presentation in 1954 at the New York Motor Show, the list of buyers of the new Mercedes was a veritable "Who's Who" of celebrities of the time: Pablo Picasso, the Shah of Iran, Prince Ali Khan, Clark Gable, Tony Curtis, King Hussein of Jordan... not to mention car enthusiasts such as Luigi Chinetti and Briggs Cunningham. In 1956, a 300 SL cost 5.4 million francs, compared with 1.6 million for a Porsche 356 1600 Super. As for performance, it made the 300 SL an absolute dominator on the road. At the time, few cars could safely exceed 230 km/h and cover 0 to 100 km/h in less than 9 seconds. As "Auto Sport" magazine put it: "The 300 SL's lines are fabulous and its performance almost unbelievable" - just one example of the rave reviews that accompanied the 300 SL's arrival on the roads of Europe and the USA. Its European Rally Champion titles in 1955 and 1956 helped establish its racing aura. Leaving the factory on August 18, 1955, the Mercedes 300 SL "butterfly" presented here was ordered under number 759 097. It was delivered in white (DB code 50), one of only 152 of the 1,400 300 SL coupes produced. What's more, it was fitted with the option of five Rudge center-fixed wheels, which originally concerned fewer than 400 examples. And even rarer in the case of chrome wheels, a particularly rare feature, especially appreciated by American customers. Remember that the 300 SL exhibited at the 1954 New York Motor Show was fitted with these same chrome wheels. On August 23, 1955, this 300 SL "Papillon" was shipped to the USA for delivery to Mercedes-Benz Distributors Inc. in New York. By the mid-1960s, it was located in Florida, and its successive owners were identified by specialist Éric Lemoine as follows: J. K. Klein, Miami Lakes (Florida) in 1977; Robert Dunigan, San Jose (California) in 1985; Terrel Sarkis (Massachusetts) in 1995; Alex Dearborn, Topsfield (Massachusetts) in 1999; Dick Gale, San Francisco (California) in 2000, then his son Richard Gale in 2009. From 1985, when it belonged to Mr. Sarkis, it underwent a complete restoration over several years, by the "Gullwing Service Company", in Essex, the first restoration workshop created by the talented Paul Russell. All restoration invoices have been compiled in a beautifully bound book. Paul Russell is one of the most renowned restoration companies in the USA, and the first car he worked on was the Mercedes 300 SL "Butterfly", hence the name of his workshop. He has won countless awards at the most prestigious Concours d'Elegance, but his focus is not only on aesthetics, as he himself explains: "A car must not only look good, it must also function properly. We're extremely satisfied when we manage to preserve a classic car at its best, both in terms of performance and beauty." The present 300 SL has benefited from these highly reputed services, with an extremely meticulous overhaul. It was repainted in black (code DB 40) and fitted with beautiful red leather upholstery (code 1079). Over the next ten years, it covered just 758 miles (1,220 km). On April 3, 2011, it was imported into Sweden and registered on June 9 in the name of Staffan Wittmark. Since then, it has passed the 2013 and 2016 technical inspections without a hitch. Today, it presents itself in exceptional condition, as the restoration has suffered absolutely no damage over the years.