The Mercedes Jay Leno uncovered was so rare even Mercedes forgot about it
- This is a rare iteration of the Mercedes Gullwing
- Only 29 were built
- Even Mercedes couldn’t keep perfect track of what happened to these vehicles
Published on May 14, 2025 at 7:10 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on May 15, 2025 at 11:52 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
In a new video uploaded to his channel, Jay Leno showed his viewers a super-rare 1956 Mercedes-Benz Alloy Gullwing.
This car is so rare that even Mercedes hasn’t properly kept track of all the 29 examples that were built.
This one was part of the car collection of Rudi Klein, a famed collector in Los Angeles.
It is incredibly expensive but, amazingly, it isn’t the most expensive Gullwing Mercedes ever made.
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The Alloy Gullwing was a slightly less refined, more performance-focused iteration of the Mercedes Gullwing, a vehicle that’s indirectly related to the record-breaking Mercedes-Benz that sold for nine figures.
This one is a little less expensive than that, but still reserved for people with several zeros in their net worth.
The model you see here is worth around $10 million.
That’s a lot of money, but less than one-tenth of the price of a 300 SL.
Built entirely out of aluminum, the 1956 Mercedes-Benz Alloy Gullwing uses a 3.0-liter engine capable of producing 215 horsepower.
In Jay Leno’s view, as he explained in the video on his YouTube channel, this is the world’s first supercar, not the Lamborghini Miura.
As crazy as it sounds, this probably wasn’t even the wildest car featured on Jay Leno’s YouTube channel.
The TV personality has been focusing on YouTube channel (and stand-up shows) after his retirement, and he regularly gives his viewers a glimpse into his car collection, which comprises at least 300 cars.
He drives all sorts of vehicles, from classic icons to the new Tesla Model Y Juniper, which he drove before anyone else.
It’s difficult to get an exact figure when it comes to the value of his collection, but it’s probably well north of $50 million.
Even though, as Leno himself pointed out on more than one occasion, he’s been acquiring vehicles for decades and most of his cars were a lot cheaper when he first bought them.
Alessandro is an automotive journalist with 10 years of experience covering supercars, automotive history, emerging vehicle technology, and luxury transportation. He wrote the first article published on SupercarBlondie.com when the website launched in 2022 and has since built a reputation for insightful reporting across the automotive and transportation industries. His expertise is grounded in hands-on experience. Alessandro has driven every Tesla model ever produced, from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck, and regularly covers the latest developments in electric vehicles and automotive innovation. His passion for transportation extends beyond cars, he has even flown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner simulator in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His reporting spans everything from classic American muscle cars and rare automotive discoveries to luxury yachts, private aircraft, high-end watches, and cutting-edge vehicle technology. Known for his deep knowledge of automotive history and ability to uncover the stories behind iconic vehicles, Alessandro brings readers a blend of historical context, technical expertise, and first-hand experience.
