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Corvette-Based 300 SL Gullwing is Either Cheap or Expensive

What you see above and in the photo gallery bellow might fool quite a lot of untrained eyes out there, as it looks pretty much identical to the gorgeous Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (W196) Gullwing – otherwise known as the supercar of the twentieth century.
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Recreation 11 photos
Photo: Auctions America
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL RecreationMercedes-Benz 300 SL RecreationMercedes-Benz 300 SL RecreationMercedes-Benz 300 SL RecreationMercedes-Benz 300 SL RecreationMercedes-Benz 300 SL RecreationMercedes-Benz 300 SL RecreationMercedes-Benz 300 SL RecreationMercedes-Benz 300 SL RecreationMercedes-Benz 300 SL Recreation
A more careful scrutiny of the rather small images will soon reveal that there is something wrong with its stance and the way in which its front and rear tracks almost come out from under the bodywork.

You guessed it, this is a 300 SL replica, or Gullwing recreation as its makers want to call it. Built in 1990 by two guys named Herman Quint and Tony Ostermeier, from the Gullwing Motor Car Company, it is apparently one of the 220 replicas produced and one of only 20 which feature a Chevrolet Corvette frame and running gear underneath the fiber glass body.

The Corvette donor car is from 1982, but its 5.3-liter (350 cid) V8 has been upgraded to develop 325 hp and is paired with an automatic transmission.

The people who cry “Blasphemy!” should probably put down their pitchforks though, despite the fact that they may cry once again when seeing the Mercedes-Benz logos on the Chevy engine.

The truth is that it's a pretty well-made replica, and part of its interior look almost spot on compared with the original, while the Becker radio, dashboard gauges, steering wheel, rear-view mirrors and sun visors are actually original.

Saddest part? The car will be auctioned on March 14 and its estimated price revolves around $160,000 - $200,000. It's mighty cheap for a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL but it's also pretty expensive for something that is only a copy of the original. What do you guys think?
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About the author: Alex Oagana
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Alex handled his first real steering wheel at the age of five (on a field) and started practicing "Scandinavian Flicks" at 14 (on non-public gravel roads). Following his time at the University of Journalism, he landed his first real job at the local franchise of Top Gear magazine a few years before Mircea (Panait). Not long after, Alex entered the New Media realm with the autoevolution.com project.
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