I’ve heard stories of the incredible cars hiding in Venezuela, but up until recently I didn’t believe them. I received an email from Alvin A with a photo of one of his 300SLs. If you know your mid-50s Venezuelan history, then you already know about General Marcos Perez Jimenez. He was a military leader and the “President” of the country from ’52 to ’58. During his 6 year reign he actually brought considerable prosperity to the country. He also imported an impressive number of sports cars! Upon the fall of his regime, Jimenez’s cars were dispersed – some ended up in the hands of collectors, others were shipped out of the country, and some disappeared and were lost forever. Alvin and his father have spent years trying to track down some of these cars. Alvin specializes in Mercedes and Ferraris, but he has been able to collect a wide variety of cars. He has also been kind enough to share more photos and info about some of them. Today we will look at his Gullwings! And stay tuned for more Venezuelan finds in the near future!

We often think of military dictators in a purely negative light, but Jimenez actually did a lot of good for his country. He saw the potential for Venezuela’s vast oil supply and he knew other countries would pay good money for it. So he increased production and prices, which lead to a serious economic boom. To spur further growth, a number of public works were undertaken. The General knew money alone wouldn’t bring happiness to the people, so he also put on a number of public events, including several races and Grand Prix. During one of the Grand Prix of Caracus, Jimenez spotted the Gullwing above during the race and fell in love with it. After the race finished, he approached the driver and bought it. Being the dictator, he got plenty of preferential treatment and access to the track, so he also received a private driving lesson from Juan Manuel Fangio in this very car! For 20 years Alvin knew about this car, but was never able to make a deal. The previous owner finally decided to part ways with it and Alvin was able to bring it home. Since he specializes in Mercedes, it didn’t take him long to get it restored and back on the road. He decided to pay homage to its racing heritage with period correct logos and paint work.

A surprising number of 300SLs made their way to the country, presumably because of Jimenez. A number of rare and significant Ferraris also made their way to Venezuela, but that’s a story for another day. The silver example shown above was another one of Jimenez’s personal Gullwings and Alvin’s father was able to track it down and purchase it too. Alvin and his father have spent their lives tracking down these special cars, fixing them, and finding them new homes. He has promised to share some of their other finds in the near future, including the story of a Ferrari 275 and a 330! A special thanks goes to Alvin for sharing his cars with us and I for one look forward to seeing his other discoveries!

Alvin also sent me this photo of the Venezuelan Gullwings at the 1955 Sebring to share with you guys! All images courtesy of Coleccion Alvin.