SMN report:
We’re not sure whether this counts as ‘art’, ‘craft’, or ‘modelmaking’. Whatever, it’s an amazing piece of work, created by a skilled German, who has hand-carved a life-sized replica of the classic 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL ‘Gullwing’, the sports car with the flip-up doors.
All-wood construction
The rather bizarre model is made not partly, but entirely of wood, and features all the intricate detail you might expect, including the wheels, tyres, M-B star, steering wheel, cockpit instruments, even the headlights - though these won’t light up unless you set fire to the creation.
Suitcase in the rear
There’s no motor in the car, and it’s definitely a non-runner. But if you want a weekend away, then there’s a wooden suitcase behind the wooden seats, just in case. The car may not be fit for driving along the highway, but it is a pretty good take on the original’s size, shape and proportions. The wooden Merc was listed on eBay recently by a seller in Germany, with an asking price of €5,850 EUR ($7640 USD), and it seems to have hit the mark.
Metal Merc
If you’re not into wood, how about a Merc made of recycled scrap metal? Three German sculptors, Armin Ciesielski, Peter Brakel and Walter Willer of ‘Giganten aus Stahl’ (Giants of Steel) decided to recreate one of the greatest cars ever made from scrap.
Months to make
The Giants of Steel used more than 10,000 pieces of metal for their piece of rolling sculpture, which took seven months of hard work to complete. According to the Giants, the car was a difficult model to make because of all the intricate details and the engine, which had to look as close as possible to that of the original. When finished, the car weighed nearly a tonne.
Dig deep to buy
The scrap-iron Mercedes Benz is not currently for sale, but would probably fetch around £60,000 GBP ($95,000 USD) at a specialist auction.
Summation
Brilliant works in wood and metal - take your pick. For the rest of us, plastic will remain the most popular building material, as will a scale that can sit neatly on the display shelf. Luckily, there are many, many Mercedes-Benz models available, as you can see by following the link below.
Visit Giants of Steel here.
Mercedes-Benz models by the score here.