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Iconic 1955 Mercedes-Benz Gullwing ‘Rubirosa’ To Shine At Concours Of Elegance Germany
The Concours of Elegance Germany, presented by A. Lange & Söhne, will commence at Lake Tegernsee from 22 July, with public days on 26 and 27 July. This inaugural event will showcase the world’s rarest cars and their owners in the Bavarian Alps.
Among the many star cars set to be showcased, the latest entry has true superstar quality. Entered by German engineering house and international award-winning 300 SL restoration specialists, HK-Engineering, the ‘Rubirosa’ Gullwing is a car that tells a story.
The 87th 300 SL ever built, Porfirio Rubirosa bought the car in 1955 from Wiesbaden and transferred it to his home in Paris. Rubirosa, believed by many to have inspired Ian Fleming’s James Bond, owned the car until his death in 1965.
In the years that followed, the 300 SL changed hands five times up until 2000, when it was acquired by HK-Engineering’s founder, Hans Kleissl. HK-Engineering will display the Rubirosa alongside other acclaimed 300 SL restorations at the Concours of Elegance Germany.
This particular car is notable for its highly original character, with the interior, rim paints and chromed features untouched since 1955. The car was painted by a subsequent owner to Rubirosa, but HK-Engineering restored it to its original matte silver colour.
Born in the Dominican Republic in 1909, Rubirosa showed an early talent for playing polo. Through the sport he met Dominican president Rafael Trujillo who hired him to the Presidential Guard. Rubirosa rose through the ranks of the diplomatic service to serve in embassies from Berlin to Buenos Aires, Rome to Havana.
Along the way, he married five times and courted many movie stars, models and heiresses, amassing a fortune in divorce settlements and alimonies. He continued to serve as a close confidant for President Trujillo, dodging many criminal charges and even prison several times through the 1940s and 50s.
Rubirosa met his end in Paris in 1965. After celebrating victory at the Polo Coupe de France late into the night on 4 July, he went on an early morning drive in his Ferrari 250 GT cabriolet, where he hit a tree and died on impact.
Concours of Elegance Germany
The Concours of Elegance Germany is grateful to HK-Engineering for bringing this exceptional 300 SL to Lake Tegernsee in July. Fresh from another successful completion of the Mille Miglia, this event marks 70 years of this iconic German sports car.
A total of 200 historic vehicles will gather in Gut Kaltenbrunn, which sits at the head of Lake Tegernsee, just a 40-minute drive from Munich. The event is brought by the team behind the prestigious Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace and the London Concours.
For further details and tickets visit www.concoursofelegancegermany.com – where every car tells a story.
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