To Be OFFERED AT AUCTIONEstimate:
$1,000,000 - $1,250,000
- Only four private owners since 1961
- High-quality restoration in stunning Anthracite over Beige
leather
- Still fitted with its original engine, matching the data
card
- Equipped with desirable matching hardtop and fitted
luggage
- Accompanied by tools, jack, and spare parts
At the 1957 Geneva Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz introduced a
convertible version of the celebrated 300 SL coupe "Gullwing," the
300 SL Roadster. In an early suggestion of the increasing focus the
manufacturer would place on luxury cars over the ensuing decades,
the new Roadster was above all a more refined car than its winged
predecessor.
There was no denying the 300 SL's mechanical performance, which had
decidedly improved in the Roadster, with the updated six-cylinder
engine receiving the competition camshaft used in the NSL racing
coupes, good for a boost of 20 hp. Handling also benefited from a
revised rear suspension with a lower axle pivot-point, minimizing
the tendency for oversteer. Despite the added weight of chassis
reinforcement required by an open model, the Roadster was every bit
the performance car that the Gullwing had proven itself to be.
The Roadster's overwhelmingly luxurious character, however,
generally obscured its performance capabilities. With a convertible
top, the model was never subject to the uncomfortably hot cabin
that beguiled the coupe, and the Roadster's redesigned tube frame
afforded lower door sills, facilitating far easier access than the
Gullwing's challenging ingress and egress.
The new 300 SL was an improvement on the Gullwing in nearly every
capacity, at least from a road-going perspective, and it has since
evolved into one of Stuttgart's most collectible models, a darling
of both concours fields and vintage rallies.
FROM MILAN TO MASSACHUSETTS
The data card for this 300 SL Roadster notes its delivery new by
the Carlo Saporiti dealership in Milan, with a removable hardtop
but no soft top ("without cover"), and finished in the rather
common color scheme of White over Black leather interior.
Interestingly, despite its having been ordered in Milan, the car
was built to U.S. specifications, indicating that someone may have
been taking what is now known as "tourist delivery." There was
certainly no better automobile in which to be a tourist!
According to a letter on file from Paul Russell & Co., the nearly
new 300 SL was acquired in 1961 by Charles Dufton, who had worked
as an economist for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, later serving
as a marketing and sales analyst for Bendix and as a distinguished
faculty member at both Harvard and Northeastern University. A
speaker of six languages, he traveled widely, including extensive
journeys in China and Tibet, and a visit to South America in which
he rafted down the Amazon at the age of 87! Additionally he was
involved in the family home contracting business in Andover,
Massachusetts. Mr. Dufton's tastes in automobiles were as
interesting and diverse as the man himself; in addition to owning
the 300 SL, he was a longtime member of the Veteran Motor Car Club
of America and the Rolls-Royce Owners' Club, and in 1997
participated in the London-Brighton Veteran Car Run.
Following Mr. Dufton's passing in 2000, his daughter, Gayle
Nieburger, inherited the car. She sold it through Paul Russell &
Co. in 2014, as a very original car with 77,000 miles, which had by
then been in the same family for 54 years. Soon thereafter it was
purchased by an enthusiast in Southern California who commissioned
its restoration by Almar of Kaczory, Poland, a firm staffed by
former Daimler-Benz factory employees. The car was mechanically
refurbished as-needed and finished in the striking period-correct
colors of Anthracite over Beige leather, with correct square-weave
carpeting. Upon the 300 SL's return to the United States,
additional cosmetic details under the hood were further sorted, by
Hjeltness Restorations of Escondido, California.
Since its acquisition by the current owner, it has continued to be
well-maintained by the staff of his private collection, known for
the mechanical sorting and meticulous upkeep of its automobiles. To
this end the rear differential was changed to 3.25, using parts
supplied by the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center, for faster
performance, and the fuel system has been carefully tuned. The car
showed about 200 miles when acquired and has been driven over 800
since, very pleasurably. It retains its removable hardtop, in body
color, as well as a black soft top, proper set of fitted luggage, a
full tool roll, and a jack.
There are always several 300 SL Roadsters for offer, but few boast
this car's desirable combination of an exceptional cosmetic
presentation and finely sorted drivetrain, as well as the most
desirable optional features of hardtop and fitted luggage. It is a
beautiful 300 SL for all manner of touring - in Milan,
Massachusetts, or even the far-flung destinations in which its
longtime owner enjoyed his adventurous life.To view this car and
others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM
website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/mo20.
