Mercedes-Benz Vintage 300 SL Roadster Available For Immediate Sale At Sotheby’s (2024)

• Concours-quality restoration by Kienle Automobiltechnik costing over €700,000.
• Equipped during the restoration with several upgrades to improve drivability, including front disc brakes.
• Restored to its original color scheme of Silver over a Red leather interior with contrasting factory hard top.
• Fascinating ownership history, retained by just two private owners in Scotland from 1962-2011.
• Inspected by Martin Cushway in February 2024; minimal mileage since.

A vehicle still celebrated as one of Mercedes-Benz’s finest creations nearly seventy years after it was first unveiled, the 300 SL Roadster combined timeless looks, exceptional performance and technological innovation as only Mercedes-Benz could. One of the most expensive automobiles at the time of its unveiling, 300 SL Roadsters found their way into the homes of titans of industry, Hollywood starlets and decorated racing drivers, showcasing its broad desirability and usability. Decades later, that desirability and usability has never wavered, and the 300 SL Roadster is considered a true blue-chip collector car, a car that is instantly recognizable wherever it goes and one that is more than capable of handling cross-continent journeys on modern roads.

The 300 SL Roadster on offer here is an extraordinary example, produced in the second full year of Roadster production, and boasting a fascinating history alongside a concours-quality restoration. According to a copy of its factory build sheet, chassis no. 8500299 was originally built in Silver (DB 180) over a Red (1079) leather interior with a black soft top. Interestingly enough, the car was noted to be delivered in Paris, yet equipped in specification for the US market. Furthermore, it was outfitted with chrome wheels, a Becker Mexico radio and a hardtop. While its earliest years are unknown, the car was imported to the UK in 1962, where it has remained ever since.

The 300 SL’s first owner in the UK was David Scott Lowe of Edinburgh, Scotland. Interestingly, Lowe would retain the car for nearly thirty-three years before selling to Richard Graham McIlhagga, reportedly a close friend, who lived about 4.5 miles away from Lowe on the western outskirts of Edinburgh. After he kept the car for approximately twelve years, the car was sold back to Lowe in 2006, who retained it until his passing in 2011.

At the time of Mr. Lowe’s passing, the 300 SL was willed to Lowe’s partner, Mrs. Rizalina Thain. Upon his passing, she elected to sell the car, which was in need of a restoration, having been in storage for a number of years, yet still in its original color scheme and wearing its first UK registration number of 3 DXC.

The 300 SL Roadster was then acquired by the current owner, who decided to embark on a full restoration to concours standards. Immediately following his purchase, he employed John Haynes Auto Technics, Mercedes-Benz specialists based in West Sussex, to perform an inspection of the car to fully assess and catalogue its condition prior to the restoration. At this time, the car was showing just 13,581 miles on its odometer. It was later decided that the car would be shipped to Germany to be restored in its home country by Kienle Automobiltechnik. At the time, Kienle was known as one of the world’s foremost experts in restoring 300 SLs and considered by many to be the go-to restoration facility for 300 SLs in all of Europe.

It is no exaggeration to say that no stone was left unturned in returning this 300 SL Roadster to concours quality. Restoration work started in 2015 and the car was stripped back to bare metal and fully disassembled to assess its condition. The engine (a replacement unit with block dated February 1957) was fully rebuilt alongside the transmission (also a replacement unit) and all other mechanical aspects of the car. Importantly, the body, rear axle, front kingpins and steering box were found to be original to the car.

It was decided that the car would be returned to its original colors (albeit with a contrasting grey DB 190 G hard top) with a handful of Kienle-engineered upgrades to be fitted in an effort to improve its overall drivability and usability. This included fitting a heavy-duty generator (45 amps instead of 28 amps), an improved electric ignition system, improved fuel injection pump, a modern diaphragm spring clutch, a rebuilt air filter, converting the front brakes to discs in place of the original drums, an isolated circuit breaker for the battery, Bosch H4 headlights (said to be a huge improvement over the original Bilux lights), additional heat shielding over the exhaust, an auxiliary engine bay fan and improved Koni shock absorbers and springs. By the time the restoration was completed in 2019, invoices totaled over €700,000.

Since the restoration, the car has been driven minimally but very well kept and maintained, with service work undertaken by John Haynes in June of 2023. More recently, an inspection was undertaken by 300 SL specialist Martin Cushway in February 2024 and the car was found to be in both excellent mechanical and cosmetic condition throughout. It has been driven just under 3,000 miles since the completion of the restoration, and is surely ready to continue to be driven and enjoyed as a brilliant specimen of one of Mercedes-Benz’s most iconic cars by its fortunate next owner.