1989 Mercedes-Benz 300CE Boschert B300 Gullwing

If you haven’t yet seen this internet sensation, you probably will have no idea what the headline or name is associated with; the image likely won’t help. Sure, it’s got Gullwing doors and the rough profile of a C124, but what’s going on here? Well, in an effort to make the C124 even cooler, Hartmut Boschert threw the Mercedes-Benz parts bin and some trick components at one. This was the result; an R129-borrowed front and and seats grafted on to the 300CE, a relocated C-pillar, and…oh yeah, those doors. Not done, Boschert added two turbochargers to the motor. The result is one of the craziest – and coolest – period modded Mercedes-Benz models not sporting an AMG badge.

1989 Mercedes-Benz 300CE Boschert B300 at RM Auctions

From the auction house:

• The only Boschert B300 equipped with “gullwing” doors
• Uprated twin-turbocharged engine produces 283 horsepower
• Finished in Bornite over a two-tone purple leather interior
• Enthusiast owned since 2005
• Accompanied by period sales and development documents and selected spares

Long before the arrival of the Mercedes-Benz SLS, enthusiasts and tuners had sought to evoke the spirit of the Three-Pointed Star’s famous ‘Gullwing’. In the early 1980s, German tuning house Styling-Garage unveiled its C126-based 500SGS Gullwing, while towards the end of the decade, Hartmut Boschert sought to repeat the trick with the newly launched C124.

Boschert’s riff on the gullwing theme—the B300—was based on a 300 CE, which was modified to accept the front end from an R129-generation SL. Significant changes to the car’s structure were made, with the C-pillar being brought forward by some 25 centimetres and the sills strengthened to accept wild 1.66-metre-wide gullwing doors that allowed access to the rear seats. The front seats were also borrowed from the R129 SL, while the engine was fitted with twin turbochargers, resulting in a power output of 283 horsepower.

The car was unveiled at the 1989 Frankfurt International Motor Show and advertised at a cost of DM 186,000. Though Boschert targeted a production run of 300 examples, only a handful were ever made, and the example offered is the only B300 to feature gullwing doors. The car began life as a Mercedes-Benz 300 CE finished in Astral Silver over a black interior and in 1990 was smartly refinished in Bornite over a two-tone purple leather interior. Purchased by the consignor in 2005, it has remained in his care ever since. The Boschert is accompanied by parts and accessories including a wooden steering wheel, in-car phone, and car cover, in addition to period sales and development materials, brochures, periodicals, and VHS videotapes.

In 2023, the car benefitted from €16,216-worth of repairs at CarSystems, €7,783 of paintwork at Lackprofis Kuennen, and a further €4,771 of leather repairs and recolouring at Auto Leder Toczek; invoices are available to view on file.

A true one-off, the Boschert B300 ‘Gullwing’ is perhaps one of the best resolved Mercedes-Benz-based specials of the era.

RM Auctions

Oh yeah, did I not mention it’s a manual? Well, it is.

Slick! What’s something like this worth, though? Well, pretty hard to say, though since it hammered yesterday, we know. This chassis sold for €455,000 (presumably not including fees) – that’s a cool $498,000+ for us in the states. Crazy? I guess were I to have a limitless supply of money, I’d be really into it, but it’s hard to conceive the market for this toy today.

-Carter