Estimate:
$475,000 - $525,000
- One of only 98 300 Sc coupes built
- One of as few as 12 optioned with the rare steel sunroof
- Retains original matching-numbers body and engine
- 42 years of fastidious care and minimal use by the current
owner
- Restored by a former factory mechanic and marque
specialist
- Currently displays less than 25,650 km (15,938 miles)
- Accompanied by luggage and owner's manual
- Documented with factory build record
In late 1955 Mercedes-Benz updated its flagship 300 S sports coupe
with a fuel-injected dry-sump version of the marque's inline
six-cylinder engine, introducing elements from the 300 SL. The
resulting 300 Sc was hand-built in a smattering quantity of 200
examples over three years, 98 of which were finished as coupes. One
of the last of Stuttgart's celebrated hand-crafted cars, the
powerful 300 Sc has evolved into one of the marque's most
collectable models of the post-war period.
This beautifully presented example claims rare factory options and
benefits from the care of a single owner for the last 42 years.
According to a factory production record, chassis no. 00070 was
originally finished in graphite grey and trimmed in a special
upholstery combination of grey leather seats with matching grey
corduroy door panels and a grey headliner. Most important, the
factory data confirms the car was equipped with a steel sunroof,
making it one of perhaps as few as a dozen examples so optioned.
Additionally, the car was fitted with a Becker Mexico radio,
windscreen washer, and a rearview mirror. The 300 Sc was dispatched
in late April 1956 to its buyer, Friedrich Liese G.m.b.H., a
metalworking company based in Hamm, Germany.
At some point over the following two decades, the Mercedes-Benz was
exported to the United States, where ownership was assumed in the
Pacific Northwest. By 1977 the rare sunroof coupe was owned by
Siegfried Linke, a marque expert based in Seattle, Washington. Mr.
Linke began his career with Mercedes-Benz as a classically trained
apprentice and employee at the Daimler-Benz factory in Stuttgart
during the early 1960s before immigrating to the United States in
1963, with an offer in hand from Phil Smart Mercedes-Benz in
Seattle. After two years at the dealership, Mr. Linke founded his
own service house, European Motors, which he successfully operated
for nearly 30 years. During this time the specialist became a
fixture at the annual Arizona sales and was a judge at Pebble Beach
for roughly 25 years.
In late 1977, Mr. Linke sold the 300 Sc to the consignor, a
Seattle-based enthusiast who doted on the fine coupe, carefully
garaging it and servicing it as needed. The car was largely stored
for the following forty years, though the owner conducted some
restoration work over two rounds in 1998 and 2006. Mr. Linke was
retained to perform a sympathetic refurbishment that included a
refinish of the exterior in black and re-upholstery of the interior
with black leather seats, light grey door paneling and carpets, and
a complementary headliner. Mechanical elements were rebuilt as
needed, and the engine bay was detailed.
Rarely driven over the last 42 years, the Mercedes-Benz currently
displays less than 25,650 kilometers (15,938 miles) on the
odometer. The rare sunroof coupe retains its original
matching-numbers coachwork and engine and is accompanied by trunk
luggage, an original owner's manual, and a copy of the factory
build card.
Having been restored by one of the area's premier marque
specialists, and fastidiously maintained by a single owner for over
four decades, this beautifully finished 300 Sc exudes character and
purity of presentation, from the elegant wood accents of the cabin
to the ornate chrome trim of the Sindelfingen coachwork. One of 98
coupes built, and perhaps one of just a dozen optioned with the
steel sunroof, this 300 Sc would make a superlative addition to any
collection, beaconing marque connoisseurs and collectors of
important 1950s touring cars.To view this car and others currently
consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/hf19.
