Vehicle Description
Chassis No. 198.042.7500286
Engine No. 198.980.7500296
In the three years after its appearance at the 1954 International
Motorsports Show, the road-going version of the W194 race car had
earned the adoration of an emerging jet set clientele for its
cutting-edge performance and outrageous gullwing doors. Not ones to
forfeit an opportunity for improvement, the engineers in Stuttgart
were already developing a worthy successor to the Gullwing,
breaking cover as the 300 SL Roadster in 1957. The new model
replaced its coupe sister car, and in doing so featured numerous
technical and cosmetic upgrades while retaining the athletic
character that had made it a sensation.
Despite the visual similarities to its predecessor, the open-body
Roadster received considerable enhancements under the skin in the
interest of creating a more polished and usable grand tourer. The
welcome introduction of conventional doors and wind-up windows
necessitated a redesign of the Uhlenhaut-engineered spaceframe,
which now incorporated lower door sills for ease of access. The new
architecture crucially allowed for a folding soft top, alleviating
the tight cabin conditions of the coupe. As a final touch of
practicality, the spare was relocated to underneath the trunk and
the fuel tank downsized, affording a generous storage area for
fitted luggage, if so optioned. The Roadster retained the
race-derived six-cylinder engine with a bump in horsepower thanks
to a competition camshaft pioneered on the alloy-bodied W194. The
rear suspension was redesigned to feature a low-point swing axle
geometry with softer, transversely mounted coil springs to address
oversteer without sacrificing ride quality. All told, the Roadster
had no trouble exceeding 150 miles per hour, claiming the title of
the fastest production car in the world
Rallye equipment could be had at special dealer request, while
leather upholstery and an outside Talbot mirror on the left fender
became standard equipment on the Roadster. Also a desirable option
for 1957 were a set of motorsport-derived Rudge wheels with steel
centers mated to aluminum rims and featuring knock-off hubs.
Equipped on approximately only nine percent of Gullwings, the
option was even more uncommon on the Roadster, and is thought to
have been specified on only 27 examples in 1957 before they were
made unavailable after that year due to a change in German law for
safety considerations.
Built in 1957, chassis number 7500286 is one such example that
rolled off the assembly line on Rudge wheels. A delivery note dated
14 October 1957 indicates that the car was originally finished in
180 Silbergrau-Met. (Silver Grey Metallic) over a 953 Led. Schwarz
(Black leather) interior with a matching 872 Schwarz (Black) soft
top. It was subsequently displayed by Daimler Benz AG at the 1957
Turin Motor Show. The car is believed to have been purchased new by
an Italian nobleman directly from the Motor Show, and to have
remained in Italy until being imported to Germany in 1980. A
registration document dated 7 March 1980 shows Mr. Horst
Frankenberger of L�beck, Germany as the Roadster's first German
owner, registering the car under the registration number "HL-L
300." In May 1986, the car entered the long-term care of
Mercedes-Benz enthusiast and active member of the 300 SL Club Mr.
Hans Peter Pusch, who would keep a hand-written record of his
nearly three decades with the Roadster which has been preserved and
is on file.
Passing to one of Germany's most discerning collectors in 2005,
chassis number 7500286 was subject to a multi-year restoration from
2007-2010. After careful disassembly, its Uhlenhaut tube frame
chassis was shipped to the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in
Fellbach, Germany where it was measured by Mercedes-Benz
technicians and determined to be correct to factory specifications.
Shortly thereafter, the car's original body panels were entrusted
to Quality Cars s.r.l. in Pianiga, Italy where they were
professionally repainted in elegant black, while the interior was
retrimmed in tan leather hides. Mechanically, the Roadster was
overhauled by the specialists at Mechatronik in Pleidelsheim,
Germany, as well as by the previous owner's own mechanics.
Since being acquired by the consignor in 2015, chassis number
7500286 has undergone in excess of €115,000 in further sorting by
renowned restorer J�rgen Kassen in Oerlinghausen, Germany. This
included sending the original, numbers-matching engine - which had
been retained with the car but was substituted for a Gullwing unit
at some point during its life - to an engine specialist for a total
rebuild and subsequent installation in 2019. A new five-speed
transmission was installed for a much-improved driving experience,
and a rare hardtop was sourced and painted to match the car's
wonderful black finish. Other items included refurbishing the
brakes (2019), overhauling the rear axles and differential (2020),
and adjusting the fender "spears" running along the upper edges of
the wheel well openings (2021) among various other improvements
detailed in the service invoices on file. The car's outstanding
cosmetic and mechanical condition is indicative of the excellent
level of service and care rendered by the current owner - bolstered
by its participation in numerous European rallies and over 6,500
kilometers traveled under current ownership.
Today, the Roadster remains correct to its original
European-specification form, which includes its asymmetric
headlights, lack of rear quarter-panel reflectors, horn ring
directionals, steering column-mounted high beam flasher, and metric
instrumentation. Importantly, the chassis, body, engine, rear axle,
and steering gear are all recognized to be original and
numbers-matching according to a copy of the car's original delivery
note on file and available for review. While the car currently
rides on reproduction knock-off wheels, it will be sold with its
original set of 5.5-inch wide Rudge wheels and spare with
black-painted centers and chrome outer rims mounted to the car.
This striking matching-numbers 300 SL Roadster is documented by a
delivery bill with its original build specifications as well as
numerous service invoices and is eligible for a host of Concours
d'Elegance and touring events all over the globe, including the
Mille Miglia as a 1957 model-year 300 SL and the Colorado Grand.
Restored by renowned Mercedes-Benz specialists, this is a
spectacular example of one of the era's best-engineered and
aesthetically pleasing automobiles and remains arguably one of the
most collectible cars to this day.
Addendum & Administrative Notes
Please note that this lot is being sold on International Documents
and the buyer of this Lot will be responsible for paying an import
duty calculated at 2.5% of the import value and associated import
fees. If the Lot is timely exported from the United States, import
duty may be refundable.