For Sale at Auction: 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 in Carmel, California

Chassis No. 198.042.7500233
Engine No. 198.980.7500251
Transmission No. 7500266
Body No. A 198.042.7500146

When the 300 SL Roadster appeared at the Geneva Salon in March 1957, it answered a request the ever-prescient Max Hoffman had pressed on Mercedes-Benz-an open version of the Gullwing built for road use. Hoffman had a gift for reading the American market, having already pushed Porsche toward the 356 Speedster and prodded BMW into building the 507. The resulting 300 SL Roadster proved far more than a Gullwing with its roof removed. The engineers in Stuttgart reworked the tubular space frame from the windshield aft, fortifying it with additional members so that conventional front-hinged doors could replace the Gullwing's roof-hinged arrangement, allowing easier entry without sacrificing torsional rigidity.

A low-pivot, single swing axle with a compensating spring tamed the Gullwing's tendency toward sudden oversteer, a trait that had made the earlier car demanding at the limit. The Gullwing's sports camshaft became standard lifting output by some 20 horsepower, and an optional 3.89:1 rear axle sharpened acceleration while the car still reached 137 mph. Roll-up windows, a glovebox, and an external fuel filler brought the appointments closer to the firm's 300-series sedans, making the Roadster the more usable of the two SL body styles.

Built largely by hand at Sindelfingen, the Roadster remained in production through 1963, by which point 1,858 examples had been completed. Nearly seven decades later, the Roadster's reputation for engineering integrity and mechanical reliability continues to distinguish it among the great sports cars of the postwar era, a car as suited to a long-distance tour today as it was when new.

Completed for delivery to the United States on 15 October 1957, chassis number 7500233 was among 618 Roadsters built during the first year of production. A digital copy of its factory Data Card documents the car as delivered in White paintwork (DB 050)-one of 354 Roadsters finished in Germany's popular international racing color-over Blue leather (DB 333), fitted with a Becker Mexico radio, sealed-beam lighting with separate parking lamps, English-language instruments, a 3.89:1 rear axle, and a dark blue folding top. It records the engine number 7500251, body number 7500146, transmission number 7500266, rear axle number 7500255, and front axle spindle numbers 7500220/7500220, all of which remain intact on the car today, conveying an enviable degree of mechanical originality.

According to the Gull Wing Group Register, chassis 7500233's earliest recorded owner was Harvey Ready of Salt Lake City, Utah. By 1973, the car had passed to William S. Harkness of Orlando, Florida, with the car later listed as finished in maroon over black leather with 81,031 miles recorded in an entry dated 10 March 1985. A later entry traces the car to Linda K. Harkness of North Carolina in 1994.

By 1997, the Roadster was owned by Philip C. Kennedy of Las Vegas, Nevada, who recorded it on a Gull Wing Group International membership application on file dated 6 November 1997. Kennedy's entry confirmed the original chassis, engine, and body numbers, the 3.89:1 axle, chromed wheels, and the maroon over black leather livery, with an indicated 94,558 miles at the time.

According to a 2006 listing from Fantasy Junction in Emeryville, California, Kennedy restored the Roadster before consigning it to the World Classic Auction in Las Vegas, the sale founded by famed collectors Don Williams and Richie Clyne. There, it was purchased by Peter Thomas, who subsequently offered it for sale through Fantasy Junction. The car's next owner, Alan Ritchie of Mashpee, Massachusetts, had a pre-sale inspection conducted at Import Motors, a 300 SL specialist in Oakland, where a new clutch was fitted. An August 2003 register entry lists Ritchie as owner and records 96,000 miles at the time.

Most recently, chassis 7500233 was acquired by its current Texas-based owner in May 2021, passing to the collection of Jim Walker the following May before returning to the present owner in early 2025. It is accompanied today by its color-matched hardtop and two pieces of fitted reproduction luggage.

Presently finished in Black over Black leather, this early-production Roadster offers its next custodian one of the most usable and rewarding of all 1950s sports cars. It is eligible for the most coveted tours in historic motoring-including the California Mille and Colorado Grand-opening the door to enjoy the car as intended, over long distances at speed.