The ‘barn find’ is nothing new to the world of automotive archaeology. In fact, it’s ever evolving. Last week we witnessed this unique Ferrari ‘condo find.’ But a ‘palm find’, well…that’s a bit of a new one for us.
Nevertheless, that’s probably the best way to describe this stunningly photographed Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, left abandoned for years underneath palm trees and banana trees in Cuba. The story about how it was rediscovered is equally enthralling.
According to Classic Driver, automotive photographer Piotr Degler had heard rumors, mere whispers in the night, of a neglected Mercedes Gullwing in a remote stretch of Cuba. Degler needed to find subject matter for his upcoming 2015 automotive calendar, and given Cuba’s recent lift of its new car import ban, and of course the Mercedes legend…he thought it the perfect time to investigate.

Over the course of a month, Degler searched high and low, traveled more than 1,800 miles, snapped over 25,000 photographs, and asked everyone he could find…but sadly no Gullwing. However, with his hopes diminished and only a few days left on the island, Degler stumbled upon the decrepit Mercedes, and his efforts are documented in this phenomenal nighttime photograph – one of 12 images showcased in his 2015 calendar, Carros de Cuba.
If that car could talk…the stories it would tell.