1959 | Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster

• Attractive, sophisticated colour scheme in black with red leather interior and black soft top
• Original hardtop available
• Comprehensively restored and technically overhauled by a German specialist workshop
• Refitted with disc brakes
• ‘Matching numbers’ engine, data card available
• With the last owner since 2013, driven only 2,300 km since then
• Ultimate, timeless style icon of style with racing genes from Mercedes Benz – a dream car from 1957 to the present day

This Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster was completed at the factory in August 1959 and delivered to its first owner in Algiers, Algeria, shipped via Marseille. According to the available factory data card on the specification and delivery note, the original colour scheme was a special paint finish in ivory (colour code 620) with a leather interior in red (colour code 1079) and a soft top in black rubber fabric (colour code 872). The equipment included a coupé roof (hardtop), also in the colour ivory (620), a Becker Brescia radio and five whitewall tyres.

Many years later, the car returned to Germany. There is a vehicle registration document for 2007 with an entry for an owner in Cappeln. As of 2010, an owner in Gelsenkirchen is registered. The 300 SL was extensively restored and technically overhauled on its almost untouched condition by a German specialist workshop. Numerous photos are documenting this work. In the course of this, the car was given an elegant black paintwork, while the completely refurbished interior matches its initial red colour today. The engine, which is still the first aggregate from the delivery, was also extensively overhauled. In addition, the 300 SL has four refitted disc brakes, which ensure better drivability and greater safety. Since the restoration, the car has only been driven just under 7,500 kilometres. The current owner acquired the Roadster in Hamburg at the beginning of 2013 and has only covered around 2,300 kilometres with it since then. Various invoices from this period prove regular servicing and minor maintenance work.

The condition of this 300 SL is impressive thanks to its professional restoration and the attractive colour scheme in black with red leather and the slim whitewall on the tyres gives it a sophisticated touch. The comparatively rare original hardtop is included with the car. A great 300 SL Roadster to drive and enjoy.

Model History: In 1952, the Daimler-Benz Board of Management decided to participate in international racing again and had the 300 SL racing sports car (W194) developed. Already in the same year, the car achieved remarkable successes: 2nd place at the Mille Miglia, a double victory at Le Mans with a new speed record. A quadruple record (!) at the Nürburgring followed and 1st place at the Carrera Pan Americana in Mexico. These motorsport successes were also to be used commercially. In 1954, the road version of the 300 SL (W198) celebrated its debut in New York. The most striking features were the gullwing doors that swung upwards. The reason for this was the construction: As with the 1952 racing sports car, the road version is based on consistent lightweight structure, with a lattice tube frame carrying the engine, gearbox and axles and not allowing for conventional doors. It is also the world's first series-production passenger car with direct petrol injection.

At the Geneva Motor Show in March 1957, a roadster was presented as the successor to the gullwing, which was technically essentially the same as the coupé. However, by modifying the side panels of the lattice tube frame, the entry height could be reduced to such an extent that ordinary doors could be realised. Thanks to a flatter rear frame and a redesigned fuel tank, the spare wheel was located under the floor. Hence, there was now space for a boot. The rear suspension was fundamentally improved: The single-joint swing axle with a lowered pivot point, already known from the Type 220a, was now also fitted in an adapted form to the 300 SL Roadster and was equipped with a compensating spring for the first time. Compared to the Gullwing version, significantly improved driving characteristics were achieved.

1,858 examples of the open-top roadster were built, compared with 1,400 Gullwing versions before. Both as a coupé and as a roadster, the 300 SL was THE car of German and international celebrities in its day – including Sophia Loreen, Romy Schneider, Juan Manuel Fangio, Clark Gable, Tony Curtis, Herbert von Karajan, Hussein von Jordan, Curt Jürgens, Gunter Sachs and many more.