Heroshot

1963 Mercedes-Benz 300SL

Roadster
Gooding & Company's latest online auction averages $1.28M per car
Thursday, 28 January - Friday, 5 February 2021
£935,000 ($1,282,259)
Sale Price
£900,000 - £1,200,000
Est. Range
Yes
Reserve
5 February 2021
Sold Date
1
Lot Number
#1-
Older restoration
Gooding & Company
Auction House
Chassis no. 19804210003243. Bisquitgelb (Biscuit Yellow) with black hardtop and dark brown soft top of Cognac leather. 2996/250hp alloy engine, 4-speed, disc brakes all-round, very rare Talbot racing mirror with ambient temperature gauge built in, original hardtop with a custom transportation wood crate box, full set of boot stowed travel luggage, tool roll and jack stand, period manuals.

Evaluation: Final-year 300SL, one of just 26 roadsters built for 1963. Sold new in Germany and with its original owner until the 1990s. Restored in 2008-10. Fuel injection and rear axle overhauled in 2019. Currently has an unstamped engine block fitted early in the car’s life.

Excellent paint finish with only the tiniest of fine swirl lines. Panel fit is excellent, too. The chrome work is impressive with only the finest of swirl lines to show it’s not new. The interior is near perfection. The high-grade seat leather has the right perforations and the short tuft carpets are high quality. There are signs of hand marks in the leather. The underbody is well preserved. The wheels are mint but the tyres are old, from 2003. Very smart engine bay with slight dust in the corners, and the beginnings of surface deterioration on the manifold. All commensurate with 13 years since restoration. The ambient temperature gauge in the Talbot wing mirror is a delight. The colour is subjective but this is a sublime condition 300 SL nonetheless.

Bottom Line: The restoration may not have been done yesterday but it is holding up very well and, save for the engine number issue it’s a very desirable car with good features. This price is a straightforward reflection of all the above, and both parties should be happy.

by Andrew Newton
11 February 2021

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More on this topic

Hagerty Insider Newsletter

Your weekly dose of auction reports, market analysis, and more.

Thank You!
Your request will be handled as soon as possible
Hagerty Insider Newsletter
Your weekly dose of auction reports, market analysis, and more.
Share
Condition definitions
Condition #1:
Condition #2:
Condition #3:
Condition #4:
Condition #5:
Condition #6: