A 1957 Mercedes 300 SL Roadster Mercedes 300 SL Roadster, discovered in a warehouse and in a deplorable condition, has been sold at an RM Sotheby’s auction for almost 1.2 million USD.
A Mercedes 300 SL Roadster is a collector’s item, and most collectors have taken special care of their cars. But that’s not the case with this Mercedes 300 SL Roadster with chassis number 7500173, which, according to the Gullwing Group, is one of 554 units produced in 1957, the first year of production of this model. The car was delivered in September 1957 to Mr. Thompson in Kitzingen, Germany. The Gullwing Group Roadster registry does not show any data for chassis number 7500173, suggesting that the car was not in the possession of any active collectors before it entered Rudi Klein’s Junkyard collection.
Rudi Klein was a car collector who emigrated from Germany to the US, where he imported European cars. After he died in 2001, his family didn’t sell any of his cars, nor did they maintain them.
Now, auction house RM Sotheby’s has auctioned off his cars in deplorable condition and managed to sell Rudy Klein’s entire collection for $29.6m, almost double its initial estimate of $17m. The most expensive car in the collection was a very rare Mercedes 300 SL Alloy Alloy Gullwing (with aluminum bodywork), which sold for $ 9,355,000.
Returning to the Mercedes 300 SL Roadster model in Rudi Klein’s collection, it is one of only 30 examples that were known to be factory-equipped with the iconic competition-derived Rudge wheels, which significantly enhance the car’s build provenance and corresponding value. The Roadster is additionally equipped with the longer-legged and higher-speed 1:3.42-ratio rear axle (in contrast to typical US-bound Roadsters, which were fitted with a 1:3.89 ratio).
Stampings indicate that this Mercedes-Benz retains its matching-numbers engine, body, rear axle, and front axles, although the gearbox, number 7500205, appears to have been replaced at some point. A copy of the delivery document indicates that the car was painted in Fire Engine Red (DB534), and the interior was upholstered in cream leather. Equipment includes a Becker Mexico Mexico radio, sealed-beam headlamps, instruments in kilometers, and a set of luggage.
The 300 SL Roadster had a modified suspension compared to the coupe. The unforgiving high-pivot geometry of the Gullwing coupe’s coupe’s swing axle was discarded in favor of a low-pivot swing-axle rear suspension, with a transverse coil spring above the differential (linked to the axles by vertical struts) to minimize oversteer. The frame and suspension redesign also facilitated the installation of softer coil springs, which endowed the Roadster with superior ride quality without compromising handling.
At 1,420 kg, the Roadster was 125 kg heavier than the coupe, but the inline 6-cylinder engine was also more powerful, developing 240 PS compared to 215 PS in the coupe. It was equipped with the competition-proven sport camshaft from the racing alloy-bodied Gullwings, increasing output by 25 PS.
The mileage indicates 17,873 km (11,106 miles), which appears to be the original, given that the car was immobilized for many years in the Junkyard Collection. Despite being in a deplorable condition with rust and ruined upholstery, the car sold at RM Sotheby’s auction for an incredible $1,187,000.
Currently, the average price of a Mercedes 300 SL Roadster is $1,379,000, according to www.classic.com, having risen over the last 4 years from $.1 million to $1.45 million. Therefore, the price achieved at Sotheby’s auction is very good. Restoring this car will certainly cost many hundreds of thousands of $ but considering the low mileage and original specification, it might be worth the effort.
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