For many of us European car nuts, a classic like the Mercedes-Benz 300SL is the stuff of dreams. It’s one of the most iconic cars ever built and certainly one of the most striking. You may not call it beautiful but there’s no denying it is one of the most captivating designs ever made. Sadly, with prices consistently breaking out at over a million bucks, buying one of is out of the reach of most – unless you find one of the 50 or so Tony Ostermeier replicas ever made, such as the example listed here on eBay with bids to over $200,000 and the reserve unmet.
In the world of replica cars, it’s safe to say better than 85 percent of most tribute vehicles are disappointments. Horrible proportions, poor fit and finish, and a mismatched body to the chassis ratio often times leaves enthusiasts feeling quite unenthused when the final product is unveiled. Not so with this delightfully accurate recreation that was supposedly so good, Mercedes sued Tony Ostermeier to prevent future replicas from being manufactured.
According to this form post from the 190SLGroup.com, “…badging or no, the glorious Gullwing shape is a work of ‘applied art’ and has been under copyright protection for decades. It’s the enforcement that has been spotty. That is, until 2012. Emboldened by a December 2010 Stuttgart regional court’s ruling affirming the Gullwing design’s copyright status, Mercedes stepped up investigating copyright violations.” Therefore, your best chance at getting into a 300SL for less than $1 million depends on finding one of these 50 replicas.
It’s not surprising, then, that bidding is so fierce for this car and that the reserve remains unmet. The 300SL replica was said to be not only a faithful recreation but also a superior driving car in some ways owing to the modern chassis and powerplant options, which included inline-six and eight cylinder options from the Mercedes-Benz family of engines. In many ways, this is perhaps one of the best replicas of any model ever conceived, and if you can shave $400,000 – $700,000 off the price of a genuine example, it could be one of the smartest collector car buys ever made.
Faithful recreation, and yet the temptation could not be resisted to put some Autozone-looking steering wheel on the thing. At least they didn’t go with Cragars.
A Nardi is Autozone looking?
In his defense it is a cheap looking Nardi
This is amazing, considering that they started with a Fiero…
Lol, NOT!
I’m working on turning a 300SL into a Fiero. Just need to source a nice Iron Duke. Stay tuned …
You are wrong ! This is a special order Nardi steering wheel . It cost around $1800 in the 80’s. Don’t think it was a cheap autozone steering wheel. I don’t think you have a clue how to build a replica from the chassis up! If you do, let me know and I will buy one from you
Looking for a nice replica, look me up. I got what you need, lol!
Cragars would be bada$$ on this thing. It also needs a Thrush bird sticker on one side of the bumper and Hooker Headers sticker on the other. Then at bottom of rear window the sticker “A$$ gas or grass, nobody rides for free”
Agreed. Lets laugh at the snobby crowd as described in a comment below. Face it, these type of cars really have one main feature, as an assistor in getting otherwise undesirable men laid. Am I wrong?
Probably.
I’d like to see Rank and his ride? You must be a car guy, or you wouldn’t be on here. You’re talking about the most iconic looking car ever made. Everybody wants one, I guess except you? Funny thing is if it was a $5k car you’d be all over it like a fly on stink, and smiling like a little kid ear to ear.
Best Ever is a big claim, I assume you mean for the group of cars, rather than this specific build. The Kindigit design built one is remarkably constructed.
As I was reading the description about the superb quality and scrolling down, the first thing I saw was the steering wheel, some loose fitting wrinkled leather, the shifter and the engine bay. The problem with all replicas is that you might impress some guy on the freeway that you don’t know and will never see again or you are relegated to the cars and coffee at the local strip mall. If you show up at Monterey or Amelia Island, you will be shunned like the plague.
You are correct, most replicas, or cars that people consider replicas are indeed distant cousins of the cars they are trying to emulate, poor build quality, and just sometimes a pretty turd. These cars from Ostermeier are steps above the rest, these cars were built with some of MB old stock parts when you could still purchase them. This car is on here because it is for sale on Ebay and I’m sure the seller is happy to get some notification here. An Ostermeier car would probably be welcomed at a Amelia Island show. These replicas bring in excess of $400,000.00 at auctions and private sale. To me that’s worth of an Amelia Island.
This car is indeed a replica, not a Kindigit car, kindigit car is cool, but definately because it can roast the tires off the rim. If you put an original next to this car only a real Gullwing officianato would know the difference. All other laymen wouldn’t know till you popped the hood, or knotted the shifter was difference. Kindigit car is a bad version of a gullwing kit, probably one of the worst proportioned Gullwing kits made, almost there are ones .ade today that are for worse!
The originals had a slant six, but obviously not a Chrysler version, though about 40 years ago there was a company that made replicas with those inside.
It is one of the better made Gullwing replicas, in its day. Now there are people making aluminum bodied replicas, and reproducing everything down to the tube frame. As far as MB coming after anybody it’s not happening. All those pics of the infamous crushed replica, if you are trying to sell a replica as a 300 sl Gullwing, and frankly if someone is stupid enough to buy it, you will get in trouble. I’m building a rebodied 1976 Corvette with a 300SL repli a body on it. My car is registered as a 1976 Corvette, not a 300SL Gullwing.
Okay East Coast Gullwing you are putting out information that is factual and I love it. I just can’t stand these readers that may have read a car magazine twenty years ago and now they are a world wide authority. All you have to do is read some of the above comments, not all just some.
My compliments to you in building your 300SL and guess what I am not putting you down, I am just jealous as heck and if the truth be known some of these other people are too but would not admit it because they have already made a negative comment.
I love Barn Finds but if we could get rid of all the negative people. Anyway have a good day.
Lol, I’m not an authority, just sometimes we know what we are talking about, sometimes, lol!
Bill, I wouldn’t even wish to get rid of all the negative people here, but I would be extremely satisfied if those same negative people would instead express their opinions without doing so at someone else’s expense.
There was one made with a slant 6
I think the original had a Mer. made slant six. Again, as I said, thee was a somewhat cheap replica decades ago that had a Chrysler 225 SS in them as well.
The Ebay ad says it has a V6, it looks like a DOHC straight 6 to me, almost like a Jag engine which would be an improvement in my mind.
No it’s a MB engine.
a Replica suppose to be a copy of a car. That means you should build a steering wheel as the original, the gauges, the engine and transmission, at least similar to the original. V6? and AUTOMATIC Transmission????
What about the body…is it hand form aluminum?
Anyway, what I think is the most incredible is the fact that someone is willing to pay more than 50-60K for this nice Frankenstein. Really? Auto Transmission in the most Iconic German car??? and over 200K!!!…Humanity is in trouble. I dont understand
Create one exactly like this from scratch for less than $200K. Go ahead. We’ll wait.
is it metal?
Ok, everybody sell their collector cars, 2nd house in Florida or the Carolinas, Rank wants us to feed and house the homeless with our extra stuff that we work our life for, and move into a trailer, thanks Rank.
The automatic transmission and red paint seem so wrong to me. But if someone was dumb enough to hand me the keys I would drive like I stole it.
No doubt, I’m sure it’s not a race car, but they are very sought after and valuable cars
Nobody’s really bid over $200 K for this, have they?
I say it sells for alot more than that.
I watched Bitchin Rides do one like this last night on the Motor Trend channel. If this one is $200k the one on Bitchin Rides would have to be a whole lot more just in the looks alone.
Dave Kindig and his team really do build some Bitchin Rides, and I’m regarded as a purist but I can still appreciate the absolute precision that goes into his builds.
Im not saying they do shotty work. The kindigit gullwing car is no comparison to an Ostermeier gullwing. Like I said, apples to oranges. Kindigit car, looks nice, goes fast. Ostermeier car, almost identical in appearance to an original, is it fast? Probably alot quicker than you think, doesn’t weight nothing, tube frame, hands down, it’s the better car.
The one on bitchin rides is no comparison to this Ostermeier Gullwing, apples to oranges. Bitchin rides car is Unproportionate to the real Gullwing. Ostermeier Gullwing is 99% correct proportion to real car. The bitching rides gullwing cost the customer $100k for the car, before bitchin rides even touched it. They had the car for 3 years to cut and rebuild that body to make it look the way they finished it. It still was crap when they finished. Immahine what that customer payed to have that car chopped up and rebuilt, I guarantee it was over $200k just for the Kindigit bill.
That’s your take on the build, however, a lot of us think that it was a great build and would love to see it in the flesh.
Mercedes, Bricklin and DeLorean gullwings always draw attention – what if Doc Brown of BTTF had modified a Mercedes gullwing instead of the DeLorean?
I don’t mind the Nardi wheel, I put one on mine back in the mid-60’s (when it was tough to even sell one of these).
I wonder why they didn’t put that HUGH fuel filler in the trunk instead of the right rear side — it was sure fast and easy to pump 30 gallons into the tank!
I miss that car, but not sure I could afford the insurance for it at today’s value.
Randy
My replica has the filler neck in the trunk, so cool to pop your trunk to fill it up, lol!
Never heard of a Hugh fuel filler. Foreign brand?
HUGE. As I recall it was 3 or 3-1/2″ od.
This was for a real Gullwing.
At the end of the day it does not matter what the billionaire or the pauper and those in between think. All that matters is that the guy who likes it, wants it and has the money to buy it, gets it and enjoys it. It’s his money!
Really not his money. Money is an artificial construct created by society to make society work. He has use of it, but in the end, if used poorly, society has the right and obligation to redistribute it for the greater good. What I find amazing is that your “political” post has not been removed where my post was. Apparently some “political” speech ere is allowed if it coincides with what the operators here agree with.
I’ve noticed that too, Rank.
Stay to the left and all will be good
if this was a 67 Vette with a 327 and an Automatic, everyone would be saying to put an LS and a 6 Speed in it!
and this is a friggin Automatic! with a Straight 6!
cool looking car though
Frank
Open the lid to fill it up. Just like an early VW BUG.