This one is going to start some fights. At first glance, it’s a very highly stylized restomod of one of the most iconic Mercedes-Benz models of all time. But underneath, this isn’t an ultra-rare 1950s Merc. It’s not even something that came with a Mercedes-Benz badge.
The vintage-look body sits on a chassis from Chrysler, but it’s a Chrysler that was built in Germany for Mercedes-Benz.
Don’t Get Caught Up By The Crossfire
Signature Autosports 300 SL-Inspired GullwingSignature Autosports
Yes, we’re being a bit vague, but that’s because this car is very unusual. Mercedes-Benz only built around 1,400 copies of the legendary 300 SL Gullwing, and if you want to buy one now you’re probably going to have to spend at least a couple of million dollars. Not exactly an ideal platform to start cutting up, but definitely a car where building a new one makes good financial sense.
This car is a replica, but Signature Autosports, the builder, says it’s not a replica in the traditional sense. It’s easy to understand that reasoning, since replica usually means a cobbled-together kit that doesn’t look good, let alone anything like the original.
The bodywork of this car looks like the 300SL, but it’s not a copy. Call it inspired by, because it has more modern detailing like the flared fenders and low stance. It seems smoother than the original cars ever looked, which might be the result of more care and attention, but also more modern build techniques.
If you told us that this car came from Mercedes-Benz in the same era as Ford’s retro Thunderbird, Plymouth’s PT Cruiser, and the Chevrolet SS-R, we’d believe you. The look fits into that trend perfectly.
Which is fitting, since under the skin this car comes from the same era. The chassis comes from a 2004 Chrysler Crossfire, and that helps make it actually usable.
Really? A Chrysler-Based Gullwing?
Signature Autosports 300 SL-Inspired GullwingSignature Autosports
The Crossfire is even an appropriate starting point for a Mercedes-Benz tribute car, because Chrysler’s halo car of the time was a Merc underneath. Built during the DaimlerChrysler era, the Crossfire is an R170-chassis (1996-2004) Mercedes-Benz SLK roadster with Chrysler body and interior.
So while it doesn’t have the leaned-over, fuel-injected, 212 horsepower, 3.0-liter I6 of the original, it still has a Mercedes engine. A 3.2-liter V6, though strangely it’s the 215 hp naturally aspirated one, not the rarer and slightly later 330 hp supercharged model.
To us, this has just the right amount of classic 300 SL style. The builder says it can actually be driven, something owners of the real thing might be rightly very hesitant to do.
Bentley blue paint and tan leather with diamond stitching make this car pop inside and out. There are some details that don’t quite hit, like the modern headlights and the gearshift that looks a little too close to the dash, but the overall effect looks great.
The company builds more authentic SL replicas as well as Boxster-based 356s, restomod Land Rover Defenders, and even nine-seat Ford Super Duty pickups. It knows how to bang out a panel, and for $300,000, you can have this one in your driveway.
