A Very Special Mercedes-Benz 300SL On The Auction Block
The sale of a Mercedes-Benz 300SL is a rare occurrence, but it’s not necessarily something that needs to be mentioned on our website. In this case, however, we’re not talking about a regular 300SL.
Built in 1954, the 300SL stood out from other sports cars sold during that era. It was the fastest production car on the planet, it was the first to use an engine equipped with fuel injection and it featured gullwing doors. Its 3.0-litre inline-six developed 200 horsepower, which was a lot at the time.
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Total production reached 3,250 units, with a mix of about 1,400 coupes and 1,850 roadsters. Of that number, the vast majority of them were built with steel bodywork. However, 29 units were assembled with aluminum bodies.
One of those very rare units has just been put up for sale by RM Auctions, and will be auctioned off at the upcoming Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August.
The car has just been fully restored. It was initially white, but the current owner decided to repaint it silver. The sport suspension, the Rudge wheels and the optional competition-spec camshaft were all retained; the latter gave the 300SL an additional 15 horsepower.
A “regular” vintage 300SL can fetch almost $2 million USD, but RM figures this ultra-rare car will be sold for an estimated $5.5 to 6.5 million USD.
It’s worth noting that this jewel is part of the Pinnacle Portfolio collection that will likely be the most expensive ever sold, evaluated at $65 million USD.
