We all dream of finding that one-of-a-kind vintage item that nets big bucks — a Honus Wagner baseball card, a signed first-edition Mark Twain novel, a lost Edvard Munch painting.
But a $10 million junked Mercedes-Benz — that's a real find right there!
Allow Jay Leno to give you the deets:
Every so often ... there comes a car that's truly exceptional, known to exist but never seen in the metal because it's been hidden away for years. In the latest episode of Jay Leno's Garage, we get a look at one of the rarest barn finds in recent memory: an alloy-bodied 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing.
That's right: This sucker has been the stuff of car legends for years, and (naturally) Jay Leno got to play around with it.
Leno stresses how rare it is: "This has everything that you would expect to find in buried treasure. I mean, it is an unusual car — it's one of only 29 built. It's exactly as it's been for the last 60 years."
The car came from the collection of Rudi Klein. Sotheby's has the scoop on this legendary figure in the car world, who passed away in 2001:
Since 1967, Rudi Klein, a renowned figure in the world of collecting, had quietly amassed a remarkable collection of automotive treasures in a modest junkyard in Southern Los Angeles. Known for his discerning eye and passion for rare and unique automobiles, Klein's collection has long been a well-kept secret, with only rumors of its existence swirling amongst certain collectors' circles.
It's true — you'd never think this "modest junkyard" in Los Angeles would contain one of the most dynamite car collections in the world:
Yet it did — including the gull-wing Mercedes, with its unique features that make it an historical centerpiece:
It features an alloy body that makes it lighter than the standard 300 SL, a higher-spec engine, a sport-tuned suspension system, Plexiglas windows, and Rudge center-locking wheels, among many other competition-focused upgrades.
You just know Leno had fun playing around with this thing for an afternoon!
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