Collector buys Raquel Welch’s Mercedes-Benz 500SL for more than $140,000 – L’annual de l’automobile

A 2018 Mercedes-Benz 500SL that belonged to Hollywood actress Raquel Welch (1940-2023) found a buyer for a total of US $ 104,000 (about $143,000) last Friday, April 12, during an auction sale. Bombshell, The Raquel Welch Collection organized by Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles.

This much-anticipated sale for collectors of movie relics was announced following the first anniversary of the death of the American movie icon, which occurred in February 2023. Of Bolivian origin, Raquel Welch (real name Jo Raquel Tejada) was 82 years old.

SL like many others… almost

In 2018, the star paid US$117,595 for this car when he bought it from Mercedes-Benz Encino, a dealership that caters to celebrities from the California art scene. It was there, for example, that singer Miley Cyrus bought an SL550 in 2012, when she was 19 years old.

Sold by Raquel Welch’s estate, its Polar White convertible has AMG trim and 19-inch AMG alloy wheels. The interior is decorated with Porcelain/Black Nappa leather and Black Ash wood.

The 4.7-liter twin-turbo V8 delivers 449 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels through a 9G-Tronic 9-speed automatic transmission; engine that allows you to reach 100 km/h in more than 4.3 seconds. At the time of sale, this Mercedes’ odometer read 7,923 mi (12,750 km).

In short, it would be an SL like any other if not for the identity of its owner. However, experts from Julien’s, a celebrity auction company, estimated its value between $70,000 and $100,000. They weren’t wrong. This car also fetched the second highest price of all the lots offered during this sale.

Navajo style turquoise and silver stone necklace worn by Raquel Welch in her film premiere Myra Breckinridge in New York, June 23, 1970, then shortly after during a photo session with the famous photographer Terry O’Neill, sold for a huge sum of 195,000 US dollars (about $ 265,000), or one hundred and four and twenty five preliminary estimates!

International sex symbol

At the beginning of her Hollywood career, which lasted from 1964 to 2017, Raquel Welch was known, in particular, for her roles in two films released in 1966: that of Cora Peterson in the film. A wonderful journey from 1966 (A wonderful journey in vf), but even more to that of Loana in One Million Years BC (One million years BC in vf), the film is almost silent (he had only three lines). Dressed in a leather bikini and feathers for this historical heroine role, she became an international sex symbol.

In addition to these two productions, he participated in about thirty films of various types, from westerns to detective films, including even comedies. In 2001, he had a brief stint in a cult film Legally Blonde. Raquel Welch has appeared on almost as many television shows. We saw him, among others, at the show The Muppet Show in 1978, but also in the section titled Summer of George from the comic series Seinfeldin 1997, where he played himself.

In these two special roles, she was seen wearing Kenneth Jay Lane ear clips, a piece of jewelry that appeared in Julien’s auction catalog – and which fetched buyers for US$2,600. The sale also included nearly 500 different items: clothing, memorabilia from famous movies and TV shows, furniture, home decorations, personal items, etc. Among these lots, the famous bikini from the movie One Million Years BC went for a total of US $ 13,000.

Photo : Julien’s Auctions

about the author

His parents say the first three words he said were: mom, dad and … Volvo. We don’t know in what order he told them, but everything indicates that he was pre-selected for a job in the big world of cars. It was through the media that he approached it. Since the 1980s, he has edited various magazines, from VAQ Classic Car Magazine (his “school”) to AutoMag, including the bilingual magazine Formula 2000, not to mention Le Monde de l’auto and Auto Journal. In the early 21st century, he wrote for Le Devoir, as well as for Auto123.com, AutoFocus.ca and Auto.Vtélé.ca. For now, you can read it on the pages of AnnuelAuto.ca and AutoMedia.ca, as well as in AutoMédia magazine. Luc is also one of those who created L’Annuel de l’automobile in 2001.