Hidden Gem

Secrets may be revealed by the things they leave behind; but what are they, those supposedly uncovered secrets? Bill Warner wondered the same thing when he unexpectedly discovered a Mercedes car in a lonely rat-infested barn in Jacksonville Florida . When Warner gazed at the forsaken find in the desolate barn, he saw the vehicle’s potential and desperately wanted to to discover its occult powers. Covered in spider webs, the gem had been sitting patiently in a barn for over 50 years for a lucky owner.

Despite the heavy machinery making the vehicle redoubtable to handle, Warner inspected the vehicle in Stuttgart Germany. To his surprise, it turned out the car was one out of 1400 limited models ever assembled with some of the rarest and most remarkable components. As the 43rd model produced, it was the Mercedes 300SL, incorporating some of the most innovative technologies from its time. Gooseneck gear shifters exclusive to only the first 50 models gave the vehicle dynamic adaptation to ever-changing terrain. The vehicle also boasted unique bolted on eyebrows on the fenders and a corn looking bumper, which were only installed after the 20th model. Would you believe that the vehicle even won the Mercedes races once at an insane speed of up to 263 km/h? Warner never expected such a serendipitous and formidable discovery.

The story went that a lawyer bought it in 1957 and raced it until he sold it to a mechanic who salvaged the vehicle for more races. Consequently, he sold it to a navy pilot who wanted to repaint it. However, during the process while the car was being stripped down, something went wrong and he never finished it, leading him to forsake it.

Eventually, the Mercedes 300L was brought back to Stuttgart Germany to be restored and enhanced by Mechatronik to pristine condition metres close to where it was produced. Afterwards, it was sold for a whopping $1 million. It is curious why the legendary vehicle, once dubbed the race car of the century, remained in secret for almost 50 years.