• Delivered new in Germany
• Effectively three owners from new
• Factory fitted disc brakes
• Restored by acknowledged experts LARO Sportwagen
• Original colour combination
• Registered in Germany

Created to spearhead Mercedes-Benz's return to competition in the post-war era, the 300 SL debuted in the 1952 Mille Miglia, finishing 2nd and 4th overall. Wins in the Carrera Pan-Americana and at Le Mans followed, and the 300 SL was on its way to becoming part of motor sporting legend. Max Hoffman, the Mercedes-Benz importer for North America, believed there would be a market for a road-going version and managed to convince the factory that such a car would be a success.

The first racers were open topped but before the '52 season's end the distinctive 'Gullwing' doored Coupé had appeared. Unusually high sills were a feature of the multi-tubular spaceframe chassis, and while access was not a problem of the open car, the adoption of coupé bodywork required innovative thinking - hence the Gullwing doors.

Launched in 1954, the production 300 SL retained the spaceframe chassis of the racer and was powered by a 2,996cc, overhead-camshaft, inline six canted at 45 degrees to achieve a lower, more aerodynamic bonnet line. Using Bosch's innovative direct fuel injection, this state-of-the-art power unit produced 215bhp at 5,800rpm. A four-speed gearbox transmitted power to the hypoid bevel rear axle, while suspension was independent all round by wishbones and coil springs at the front with swing axles and coil springs at the rear.

Tested by the highly respected American magazine Road & Track in 1955, the 300 SL accelerated from 0-60mph in 7.4 seconds, going on to achieve a top speed of 140mph: outstanding figures for its day. It was, arguably, the world's first supercar. Its racing parentage notwithstanding, the 300 SL was and remains a thoroughly practical automobile, as civilised in city driving as it is exhilarating on the highway.

Clearly the 300 SL Coupé would be a hard act to follow, yet the Roadster version, introduced just three years later, succeeded in bettering its closed cousin's already exemplary road manners. Built with conventional doors, the 300 SL Roadster was first exhibited at the Geneva Salon in May 1957 and was an immediate hit with the 1950s 'Jet Set' of royalty, actors and socialites. The production of an open 300 SL involved altering the cockpit area, where the spaceframe was redesigned to permit lower sills for improved access. At the same time the rear suspension was changed to incorporate low-pivot swing axles. Disc brakes were standardised from March 1961, while towards the end of production a small batch of Roadsters was completed with an aluminium cylinder block.

The Roadster's neutral steering characteristics received fulsome praise from Road & Track. A 0-60mph time of 7.0 seconds and a top speed of 130mph (209km/h) were recorded, making the 300 SL Roadster one of the fastest convertibles of its day. The 300 SL Roadster sold well for a car that cost more than a Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder, and would outlive the 300 SL Coupé, which ceased production in 1957, by several years. Roadster production ceased in 1963 after 1,858 cars had been built, some 70% being exported to the USA, and today the model is both rare and highly sought after.

According to the Datenkarte (copy on file), this stunning 300 SL Roadster was completed at the factory on 26th July 1961 and delivered new in Germany. The original colour was white (colour code 050) with tan leather interior (colour code 040), the same as today, Further options include a radio (code 511), automatic aerial (531), whitewall tyres (641), sport seats (401), among others. Most importantly, being a 1961 model, it has the most desirable combination of factory-fitted disc brakes and the less capricious iron-block engine, so arguably has the best specification for a 300 SL Roadster.

On 25th June 1973 the engine was replaced by Mercedes-Benz themselves at their official Hamburg branch. The odometer reading at the time was 66,569 kilometres and the replacement engine number ended in '002938', only five numbers higher than the original one which ended in '002933'. The change is documented in the accompanying Mercedes-Benz service book which was issued by Mercedes-Benz for that purpose. Importantly, the replacement engine is of the iron-block type, same as the original.

The car has been subjected to a meticulous frame-off restoration by the highly respected German 300 SL specialist Lars Rombelsheim of LARO Sportwagen. The result is simply stunning, and expertise reports issued by an official German appraiser in 2012 and 2017 respectively rate the car as condition '1', the highest (the range goes from 1 – 6). The appraiser specifically mentioned the frame-off, bare-metal restoration to original specification, and the accompanying documentation as deciding factors for the appraisal. This documentation includes copies of the previous German registration document; copies of the original Datenkarte with all the important part numbers recorded; and the Mercedes Service Book recording that the engine had been exchanged by Mercedes-Benz themselves. The car also comes with current German registration documents. The aforementioned expertise report is very thorough and worthy of the closest inspection.

The current custodian purchased the Mercedes, already restored, in 2017. The preceding owner had bought the car in 2005, and the associated Kraftfahrzeugbrief lists only one previous owner, who most likely was a well-known Porsche racing driver and successful building contractor. As far as we know this is effectively a three-owner car from new, adding to its pedigree.

This 300 SL Roadster certainly ticks all the boxes: specification, provenance, documentation and meticulous restoration by one of the foremost experts for this model.


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