The 1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SL “Gullwing” is the type of car they publish coffee-table books about.

Richard Kale owns several of them, lavish illustrated histories of the classic 300 line and the ultra-rare, hand-built German sports car that graces the driveway of his Winslow-area home.

“I don’t think anyone has made one quite like this,” said Kale, a lifelong aficionado of fine vehicles whose collection also includes a 1962 Corvette and a 1931 Chrysler roadster with a rumble seat.

“Many (Gullwing) owners are engineers,” Kale said. “The reason they like them is because of the extraordinary detail. They’re built like you would expect the best hand-made German vehicles would be built.”

Kale’s treasure will be the centerpiece of the Bainbridge Island Classic Car Show, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 5 at Strawberry Hill Park.

Organizer Jim Peek, a Bainbridge realtor, invited Kale to participate after spotting the automobile amongst the other vehicles waiting in line for the ferry.

The car’s signature feature – piston-mounted doors that arc up like a magnificent bird in flight – gave it away.

“I was in line underneath the covered area in Seattle, and saw those wings in the air,” Peek said. “I’d never seen one in person, but I could identify it all the way across the parking lot.

“I said, ‘it has to be a Gullwing.’ It’s legendary.”

Now in its second year, the car show is open to anyone with a vintage, rare or otherwise interesting vehicle, for an entry fee of $5.

“Whatever’s classic to you, we’d love to have you,” Peek said. “Cars, trucks, motorcycles. In fact, if you’d like to show your bicycle, we’ll have you.”

Beneficiary of this year’s show is Project Backpack, a local non-profit organization that outfits needy youngsters with back-to-school supplies.

The viewing public is asked to contribute three-ring binders, spiral notebooks, colored pencils and markers, pencil pouches and other supplies as admission.

Last year’s gala attracted a rare Italian Bugatti and a Sunbeam Tiger, while two gleaming Ford Thunderbirds, vintages 1957 and 1994, sat parked side by side.

Peek hopes to double the number of vehicles on display from last year’s total of 86. Owners from around the county have been expressing interest.

“I go to a lot of shows, and we had more variety of vehicles than I’ve seen,” Peek said. “We’ll get some pretty wild cars.”

Participants will receive dashboard plaques to commemorate the event, but money that would otherwise be spent on trophies will go to Project Backpack.

“Most of the people there have won enough trophies that it’s secondary,” Peek said. “It’s more the fellowship of being with other car owners and seeing what they haven’t seen before. That’s where I’m at.”

Not that Kale’s car wouldn’t make a run at the top prize, if one were given. The Gullwing is one of just 1,400 – No. 819, to be precise – manufactured by small teams of Mercedes Benz craftsmen from 1954-57.

Credited with being the model that put Mercedes back on the map after World War II, it boasts a 240-hp slant six, fuel-injected three-liter engine. It was a staple on the German racing circuit in the 1950s, and was motored by the best known drivers of the age.

Was this particular vehicle ever raced?

“My understanding is that the answer is ‘maybe,’” Kale said. “They also had cars that were owned by racing teams, used as ‘mules’ to transport drivers to and from the track.”

What is known is that after the legendary Nurburgring Gran Prix of 1957 – the hood still bears the official race plaque – the car was imported to the United States and put up for sale at a used-car lot in San Diego, Calif.

Kale admired the gleaming silver two-seater each time he drove past the lot, and was amazed one day when he was at a party and his best friend drove up in it.

The car has passed among Kale’s small circle of best friends; he’s the third American owner, having purchased it in 1970, and has maintained it to factory specifications since that time.

For those who insist on putting a monetary value on such works, two Gullwings recently fetched $330,000 and $365,000 at auction.

Kale admits that the car has been a good investment, but he enjoys more the reaction he gets from other drivers, like a woman who parked near him at the post office recently.

“She looked at me and said, ‘rolling art,’” Kale recalled. “It is an extremely aesthetically built vehicle.”