Vehicle Description
1958 Mercedes Benz 300SL Roadster
• Two (2) Owners
• 26,098 Documented mileage
• One of the finest restored examples available
One of 267 300SL Roadsters produced in 1958 and only 1,858
Roadsters were built from 1957 to 1963. A comprehensive body-off
restoration was performed by renowned 300SL expert, Jon Cumpton.
Finished in a stunning color scheme of White Gray (DB158) with
Green leather upholstery, this 300SL Roadster features a
matching-numbers engine and transmission. Options include rare and
hard-to-find items such as fitted luggage, body-colored Rudge
wheels, European headlights, and a factory hardtop.
Travel orders issued by the U.S. Air Force on July 22, 1954, for
the 2,266th Personnel Processing Squadron provided a permanent
change of assignment and created an opportunity for Colonel Drew P.
Hale to be stationed in France. While in France Colonel Hale
developed a strong penchant towards Mercedes and eventually decided
to purchase a 300SL Roadster. Colonel Hale utilized the Mercedes
Overseas Delivery Program and took delivery at the Daimler-Benz
A.G. factory in Sindelfingen, Germany. Before coming back home,
Hale reportedly spent a couple of years in Paris with the Roadster.
By the early 1960s, Colonel Hale had the Roadster imported from
France to his residence in Honolulu, Hawaii. Registration cards on
file and paperwork indicate that he had the Roadster relocated from
Hawaii and shipped to Brooklyn, New York. Colonel Hale was not
content with the fast-paced, metropolitan, lifestyle of New York
and instead sought out a peaceful retirement setting in Warner
Robins, Georgia. While he loved the change of scenery and the ample
amount of land, there weren't any Mercedes-Benz service shops
within 100 miles of Warner Robins. In a letter dated, November 19,
1975, Colonel Hale wrote to Mercedes-Bens of North America hoping
to establish his own Mercedes sales and service facility in Warner
Robins, Georgia. On October 6, 1975, Colonel Hale's committed and
enthusiastic approach to establishing a new dealership fell short
as they terminated the "Binder" program just a few years ago. While
in Georgia the Roadster was driven very sparingly and was regularly
serviced by marque experts. By 2011, the Roadster had accrued just
over 24,000 miles and was sold to the second owner.
After the acquisition, the second owner commissioned Jon Cumpton to
complete a comprehensive body-off restoration. The restoration
process was approached with an open checkbook, ensuring that no
stone was left unturned. During the restoration the body was
removed from the frame, media blasted, sealed, primed, and
repainted White Gray (DB158). The frame was media blasted and
powder coated. The cabin was fully reupholstered in green leather
with a dark green-grey soft top. A new wiring harness was
installed, and all the gauges were sent out to North Hollywood
Speedometer to be rebuilt. The suspension was rebuilt, re-bushed
and new shocks were installed. The braking system was restored with
a new brake booster and a complete set of brake drums for Knock-off
wheels were installed. All the hardware used was original and was
cataloged, photographed, tumbled, and recoated with black zinc. The
brightwork was cataloged, photographed, and sent out to be triple
plated and polished to show condition.
While the Roadster was being reassembled, the driveline was sent to
Van Nuys Sports Cars Inc. The engine was completely disassembled,
and the crank was magnafluxed. The engine received new main
bearings and the connecting rods were rebuilt. New pistons, valves,
and cams were installed. The cylinder heads were restored with new
seats, valves, and new valve guides. The fuel injection was rebuilt
by Pacific Fuel Injection. The engine was reassembled back to
factory specification using original hardware. The transmission was
completely disassembled and rebuilt with all new synchros and
bearings. The transmission was modified and improved through the
installation of a rear axle gear (3.25:1) to allow for a more
pleasurable driving experience. Every aspect of this 300SL was
addressed during its three-year restoration to bring it back to an
exceptional standard. It retains the correctly applied factory
inspection marks, clamps, hoses, and decals in the engine bay, and
it is truly stunning in every respect.
Due to the fastidious care, the paintwork is in remarkable
condition with perfect fit and finish. The exterior features
beautiful brightwork, rare European headlights, and a factory
Hardtop in body color. The upholstery is in pristine condition
throughout with factory green leather seats with matching door
panels and dash. The factory steering wheel is beautifully
presented with a chrome horn ring and sits ahead of VDO
instrumentation and a factory Becker Mexico MW/UKW radio. The
vertical instrument cluster operates as it should and monitors
gasoline level, oil pressure, oil temperature, and water
temperature. The body-colored Hardtop and soft top are in
outstanding condition and fit evenly with a tight seal. The 5.5" x
15" KPZ Rudge wheels are body-color centers fitted to Michelin
Harmony 205 75R 15 tires.
The number matching 2,996cc 6-cylinder engine (M198) runs
phenomenally with just over 2,000 miles since the rebuild. The
4-speed manual transmission shifts smoothly with a 4-wheel drum
braking system. Complete with owner's manual, original toolkit,
spare Rudge wheel, jack, factory tire pressure gauge, original
300SL workshop manual, Mercedes-Benz customer service stations
booklet, a map of Germany, two sets of keys with an original key
pouch, original Mercedes-Benz service booklet, Becker Mexico radio
booklet, photographs of the restoration, and 60 years of
documentation. Unrivaled by its ilk, this Roadster has been
completed to very high standards and is offered with incredible
documentation, and would make an excellent addition to any
collection.
History
In most cases, a road car comes first and a racing version follows.
But for the Mercedes-Benz 300SL, the radical-gull-wing door coupe
that hit the market in 1954 was directly derived from the sports
racing car that won the Carrera Panamericana and the 24 hours of Le
Mans in 1952.
The road car that followed retained the racing version's, strong
tubular frame with high sills-necessitating the gull-wing doors-and
featured fully-independent suspension and a fuel-injected version
of Mercedes-Benz's 2,995cc single-overhead camshaft engine. The
straight-six was rated at 215 bhp and would propel the car to
speeds upwards of 160mph, making it one of the fastest production
cars in the world upon introduction. The only transmission
available was a four-speed manual and powerful drum brakes were
fitted at each corner. Significant options included a more highly
tuned engine, Rudge knock-off wheels, and fitted luggage. The most
coveted of all the production 300SLs are the 29 aluminum coupes.
Fast, beautiful, and very expensive at nearly $9,000, only 1,400 of
the exclusive coupes were built between 1954 and 1957 when the
model was superseded by the 300SL roadster.
The open two-seater was clearly closely related to the coupe, but
thanks to a modified tube frame, conventional doors-with roll-up
windows-could be fitted. Power went up slightly for the drop-top
version and the swing axle rear suspension was modified to improve
handling. A popular option was the snug hardtop, while the most
notable changes during production were the introduction of
four-wheel disc brakes in 1961 and an aluminum engine block at the
end of 1962. By the time the 300SL roadster was discontinued in
early 1964, 1,858 had been built.
