With deep regret we have to inform you that this year's edition of the legendary Mille Miglia regularity race has claimed about half of the original parts from a gorgeous Mercedes-Benz 300 SL from 1956, courtesy of a rather serious impact between the Gullwing and a BMW 1 Series.
The crash happened on a winding road in Viterbo, somewhat near Rome, and the causes are yet to be determined, despite the fact that the damage marks on both cars show that at least one of them was engaged in the other one's lane.
Both the 300 SL's and the BMW's drivers were taken to the hospital with concussions and fractures, but it seems that nobody was seriously injured from the accident.
According to Sicurauto, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was being driven by brothers Alexander and Konstantin Sixt, who are both heirs and part of the Sixt German car rental company's management.
In other words, the probability of the car being rebuilt from what pretty much looks like scratch is rather high, but that doesn't mean that our hearts aren't filled with sorrow just by looking at its remains.
As some of you know, just 1400 units were ever manufactured of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing between 1954 and 1957, with some of the ones remaining having a sale value of over a million Euro ($1.37 million).
The original Mille Miglia endurance race was banned in 1957, after two fatal crashes claimed the lives of driver Alfonso de Portago, his co-pilot Edmund Nelson and nine spectators, and has since been revived as a regularity race for mostly vintage cars, while normal traffic rules are to be upheld by all participants.
Both the 300 SL's and the BMW's drivers were taken to the hospital with concussions and fractures, but it seems that nobody was seriously injured from the accident.
According to Sicurauto, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was being driven by brothers Alexander and Konstantin Sixt, who are both heirs and part of the Sixt German car rental company's management.
In other words, the probability of the car being rebuilt from what pretty much looks like scratch is rather high, but that doesn't mean that our hearts aren't filled with sorrow just by looking at its remains.
As some of you know, just 1400 units were ever manufactured of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing between 1954 and 1957, with some of the ones remaining having a sale value of over a million Euro ($1.37 million).
The original Mille Miglia endurance race was banned in 1957, after two fatal crashes claimed the lives of driver Alfonso de Portago, his co-pilot Edmund Nelson and nine spectators, and has since been revived as a regularity race for mostly vintage cars, while normal traffic rules are to be upheld by all participants.