Multiple concours winning example. Ex-Chairman Lee (Samsung Corp) for 25+ years and one of only fifty-three 300Sc Roadsters made. Only recently recognized to have been an almost completely OEM restoration effort, making it likely the only of its kind restored in such a manner. 300S authority and multiple best of show winning restorer Charles Brahms is on record noting that chassis 6500069, one of nine 300Sc’s he restored, is almost certainly his best effort of this revered and rarest post war Mercedes model.
Matching numbers. Multiple concours winning example. Chassis no. 188.015.6500069 Engine no. 199.980.6500071 Body no. 188.015.6500014. 332 Midnight Blue with Saddle Brown Roser Hyde Leather. Equipped with extremely rare Oliver Dare matching fitted luggage set in the trunk and behind front seats. Rare OEM Mercedes parts restoration. Multiple concours winning example. “Disappearing” soft top (dark blue). Bosch headlights. Becker Mexico radio. Automatic antenna. 175 hp (DIN), 2,996 cc OHC inline six-cylinder engine. Bosch mechanical fuel injection. Four-speed manual transmission. Independent front suspension with tube shocks and coil springs. Single-pivot rear swing axle with tube shocks and coil springs. Four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Original books, original tools, original spare wheel/tire and jack. 56,086 km. Less than 1,000 miles since restoration.
300Sc History
From 1955 to April of 1958, 98 Coupes, 49 Cabriolet A’s and 53 Roadsters were made of the 300Sc and all were done through special order. As the most expensive cars in the Mercedes-Benz catalogue, the 300Sc was seen as the world elites most elegant way to travel. Produced only in the last two years of Sc Production, the Roadster, with its disappearing top and ample extra space for luggage/parcels, is the most desirable of the W188 chassis Mercedes line.
As a product of legendary body designer Hermann Ahrens, the 300Sc was designed with a stately, tall Mercedes-Benz grille adorned at the top by the three-pointed star. It incorporated elegant fenders with chrome rings around the U.S.-specification headlamps, proportions to emphasize the long hood and short tail, and running boards concealed under the doors. The W188 chassis 300Sc is evocative of the best of past Ahrens designs such as the 540k and a tribute to the pre-war days past. Each example was built to order by hand, all panels carefully fitted, with edges leaded in as needed to minimize and even out panel gaps. Chrome trim was carefully fitted to each body and then removed to be chromed before being installed back on the body. On the interior, wood veneer in the grain and finish specified by the owner would be cut in book-matched symmetric grain patterns before being fitted for an utterly luxurious driving experience. With graceful and elegant bodies, soft-tops for traveling in expected weather that is tucked neatly under leather tonneau covers, and upgraded engines with Bosch mechanical fuel injection adapted directly from the 300 SL open racecars, the 300Sc Roadster takes its place in post war Mercedes lore alongside the 300SL as Mercedes’ most collectible of models.
6500069 History
According to the factory build sheet that accompanies this exceptional 300Sc Roadster, it was dispatched new from the Sindelfingen factory on April 4th, 1956 to Mihlenverwaltung a. Lagerhaus to Clemens Auer, Industrial Ports in Köln-Deutz, Germany. At some time early in its life, the car would make the journey to the United States where it would haveseveral private owners in the Midwest before being acquired in the early 1970’s by Tom Kreid of Illinois. In 1984, Mr. Kreid would sell the 300Sc to Richard Freshman of Chatsworth, California who noted at the time of purchase that the car was rust free with anthracite paint and that it had an older interior but was in a very suitable driving condition. Several years after purchasing the car, Mr. Freshman commissioned renowned 300S and Sc restorer Charles Brahms to commence what Mr. Brahms would go on to call his best and most authentic effort as a multiple time best of show winning restorer.
After completion of the comprehensive restoration by Brahms, the car was shown at the Santa Barbara Concours where it won best of show. Shortly thereafter the Mercedes was purchased for the most money any 300Sc had ever sold for by noted Mercedes collector Chairman Lee of Samsung Corporation. Mr. Lee would own chassis 6500069 300Sc for the next 25+ years where it was housed in a state of the art climate controlled collection facility. Because the car was finished to such an overwhelmingly high standard and since it has been housed in exceptional conditions since restoration, it remains in the finest of concours conditions. Since coming out of Chairman Lee’s collection, it has been discovered through inspection and corroborated by restorer Charles Brahms that the restoration was done using OEM new old stock parts, making it perhaps the only 300Sc restored in such a manner. Under the current ownership, the car was recently shown publicly for only the second time since completion of the restoration by Brahms, winning best in class at Hilton Head Concours d’Elegance 2019.
Charles Brahms Recalls In His Own Words Chassis 6500069
“”In or around 1990 I was approached by my friend and fellow car enthusiast Richard Freshman to restore his 300Sc Mercedes. The goal of the restoration was fairly straightforward, though by no means simple with a car such as this. He wanted me to restore his Mercedes to the highest standard possible so that it could compete at shows and win against the finest cars in the world. The goal was to win best of show prizes, not just best in class.
The car was anthracite with a shade of tan leather interior when it arrived to me, in a decent driver quality condition. As I recall, it had been repainted one time but otherwise the car was largely original with little else remarkable having been done to it. There was no significant damage or rust as I recall. Being a good car to start with, and because the financial resources to do the job were at the ready, we knew it would be possible to get the result we eventually achieved with the car.
We spent 2 years restoring 6500069, and no expense or effort was spared. I was given the latitude to do everything necessary to achieve a result that, looking back, is likely my best effort as a restorer who was always known for Mercedes 300S cars. Over the years I had collected a huge amount of stock OEM “new-old” factory Mercedes parts for the 300S line of cars, so when it came time to replace or to perfect a part on the car, I had the convenience of simply being able to pull the part or supply off the shelf. There isn’t a part on the car that isn’t OEM, to my recollection nothing on the car is aftermarket. I think that makes this 300Sc quite unique, even among an already rare model, given the lengths to which we took all processes of the restoration itself.
Every nut and bolt of the car was attended to and extreme lengths were gone to in pursuit of perfection. The painted surfaces were exhaustively prepared to produce mirror quality finishes with the same being done for the chromed pieces. The 300Sc has as lot of chrome, in particularit is important to make sure the chrome pieces fit and are placed exactly right to tie the exterior together. If something on the exterior is off even the slightest amount, it is easy to spot on these cars, so we spent enormous amounts of time getting fits, finishes and chrome placement just right. The interior was equally well attended to with every attention to detail possible paid to correctness and to using the best in quality regarding the wood, leather, chrome and other.
We even had a full 7 piece luggage set made by Oliver Dare at great and unnecessary expense to really emphasize the true luxury of the model. The engine bay and underside were no different than the exterior and interior even though those areas are often afterthoughts in restorations, especially regarding the underside which is rarely seen. We even went to the trouble of lining up all the bolts and screw heads on the bottom of the car perfectly, nothing was skipped or overlooked and everything was done for an above and beyond result. I think we achieved what we set out for, and in midnight blue it was hard not to admire the work my team and I accomplished.
When all was said and done, I recall that the restoration cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $400,000, which was a lot for the early 1990’s. The same year that the car was finished, which must have been 1992 or 1993, we took it to the Santa Barbara Concours. We won best of show at the event. A small amount of months past after winning the Santa Barbara Concours, maybe 6, at which point I helped facilitate the sale of the car from Richard Freshman to Chairman Lee of Samsung Corporation who at the time was building what would become one of the finest Mercedes collections in the world. The price we achieved on the sale was unheard of at the time for a 300Sc, it sold for $675,000. This was vastly more than any other 300Sc had ever sold for, at a time when a 300SL Gullwing was perhaps $200,000 for an especially nice car.
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Charles Brahms””
The restorations of Charles Brahms speak for themselves, especially to anyone who has seen in person any of the nine 300Sc’s he has restored. Given what must be a unique status as the only OEM factory “new old stock” part restored 300Sc, chassis 6500069 would be difficult to surpass for its particular authenticity, color combination and the sheer quality of the still breathtaking restoration. This example of Mercedes-Benz’ rarest post war car offers an irreplaceable collection piece and source of prestige. We invite interested parties to come to view and inspect this treasure of Mercedes-Benz history.
