Owned from new until 2006 by Air Force Colonel John Burnside, this stunningly original 300SL Roadster is presented in 050 white paint over beautifully patina’d, factory installed 1079 red leather. The Colonel’s Roadster is without question the most thoroughly documented W198 we’ve ever had the privilege of offering and retains it’s factory hard top, original black soft top along with numerous bespoke factory-installed features including racing seat-belts and custom switches on the dash. This superb 300SL Roadster is primed for future preservation class showing and ready for touring use; a W198 Mercedes-Benz that is accompanied by an extraordinary level of original documentation and rare factory correspondence.
Highlights
- Unparalleled documented history
- Highly original throughout
- One owner from new until 2006
- Custom factory-installed features
- Chassis no. 198.042.10.9500096
- Engine no. 198.980.10.9500080
- Matching numbers
- Original colors
- 050 white paint
- Factory installed 1079 red Roser leather
- Factory hard top w/ original crate
- Factory installed racing belts
- Fuel-injected 6-cylinder engine
- 4-speed manual gearbox
- Original 720 black soft top
- Becker Mexico radio
- Extensive factory receipts and records
- Original service booklet
- Original books
- Original tools
The Colonel’s 300SL Roadster
In the summer of 1957, US Air Force Colonel John Burnside initiated talks with the Mercedes-Benz factory in order to secure an advance order for the soon to be available open-topped 300SL Roadster model; a car the Colonel hoped would make a perfect pairing for his already acquired white with red leather 300SL Gullwing that he had purchased the year before. As testament to Colonel Burnside and his devotion to the 300SL model, an unparalleled volume of records as well as numerous spare parts remain with this uniquely original W198 Roadster, lending a glimpse into his integrity as a man and as a steward to all things in life that he cherished.
Colonel Burnside ordered his 300SL Roadster through the Mercedes-Benz dealer in Tokyo, Japan, a place in which he expected to be stationed at the time of the car’s completion. During the purchase process, which took many months to finalize, Burnside became personal friends with the Tokyo distributor’s managing director, Mr. Masuo Kobayashi. Accompanying the car in its file are many personal letters between Kobayashi and Burnside which serve as further fascinating history and add flavor to the many 300SL purchase related letters regarding the Colonel’s specific desires for his soon to be purchased car. Mr Kobayashi went to great lengths and attended to many details of this very special order for his friend, the Colonel. Taken in total, the carefully preserved documentation, over 1,000 pages strong in relevant receipts, hand-written letters and other correspondence, offers remarkable insight into the history of chassis 9500096 300SL Roadster.
Of note as particularly rare, included in the car’s meticulously detailed history file are the earliest Mercedes-Benz factory order forms in which the Colonel outlined his special requirements for the car’s eventual build. Many pages within the file illuminate Burnside’s obvious desire for a car set up for future racing exploits; the requests included special seat belts, a full roll bar, a camshaft tailored to match certain desirable aspects of that in his Gullwing, and a particular request for race-bred tires. Original records in the car’s file show that the Mercedes-Benz factory accommodated as many of Colonel Burnside’s special requests as the design of the new 300SL Roadster model would allow.
In addition to the factory paperwork, shipping documents and other information contained in this 300SL’s history file, a separate hand written journal still with the car records perhaps every tank of gas ever purchased for the car while also noting the corresponding mileage at the time of fill-up. Also in this log, the location of the fill-up is often referenced, making this hand written journal an incredibly accurate and detailed time-stamp document for the Roadster’s life from new until well beyond its first 100,000 miles. As per records, at the time the car reached about 110,000 miles, Colonel Burnside elected to have the engine overhauled, commissioning Wolfgang Fangler of Diesel Research in Torrance, California, to perform the mechanical work.
Concerned with the revised dash layout of the 300SL Roadster model vs. that of his 300SL Gullwing, the Colonel requested that the factory fashion his car with a custom navigator’s horn. He was clear that the placement of the driver’s horn button must match that of his Gullwing coupe. After several attempts to fulfill the Colonel’s dash modification requests, the familiar Roadster horn ring was reduced to its bottom half only. He further made note that both city and country horns be installed, with factory switches positioned discreetly under the dash to select between the two different tones. These custom, unique switches remain on the car today, as do the factory installed dual air horns. Also of interest and towards the rare bespoke features included in this wonderfully original 300SL Roadster are the unique, factory-fashioned switches along with hinged blocking plates for the custom dome lights in the engine bay and trunk.
During the time the Colonel owned his two beloved 300SL’s, he and his wife Rose became active members of the newly formed Gullwing Group, attending many of the fledgling group’s early functions and driving events. The Burnside’s also served as dutiful officers of other Mercedes-Benz clubs for a number of decades. Today, the Burnside’s DB 50 white Roadster retains the beautiful original red leather installed by the Mercedes-Benz factory and also sports its original black fabric top along with the custom, factory installed racing seat belts. Documents in the history file indicate that the car was issued a not-so-uncommon factory-sanctioned and funded respray near the time of delivery as the fender eyebrows were slightly damaged while in the care of the factory’s shipping agent during its transportation to the US. Additional paintwork appears to have been done since then in keeping with the Colonel’s uninterrupted upkeep of the car, leaving the paint of the car in a well patina’d but very presentable condition throughout. The spectacular original patina of the car is evident throughout and no parts of the car appear out of place.
Colonel John Burnside ordered his 300SL with the optional hard top, as listed among the available accessory items detailed in the paperwork accompanying the car. The hard top would come in a crate, as he was informed that the hard tops were not yet ready for delivery and would be shipped to him at a later date. To this day, having seen rare use, the hard top, still in original paint, has been kept in its original wooden shipping crate with the Colonel’s name stenciled on the lid of the crate itself. Also accompanying the Roadster are a selection of original spares, including bumper over riders in their factory wrapping with the original date-coded dash clock present and ready for installation if desired. Currently fitted to the car are a set of chromed wheels, with the original painted wheels date coded 1959 accompanying the sale. The original spare remains in the trunk. The car comes with original books, pouch and tools in addition to the second-to-none history file of original documentation.
Overall, the car displays an always cared for, exceptional patina marking a rarely seen dedicated care from new by a man who was well known for decades in 300SL circles as someone who went to great lengths to take care of his cars. The result is an unusually well-preserved 300SL that has never been taken apart and has always been kept in top condition by a true enthusiast committed to excellence and whose affection for this 300SL Roadster is evident throughout. In 2011 the Colonel’s 300SL Roadster was consigned to Scott Grundfor Company for sale after having been passed down to the Colonels’ nephew, and since has been with a collector in the Bay Area of California.
The Colonel’s Roadster carries with it the distinction of having never been restored and exhibits the notably alive, exceptional driving qualities of a factory-assembled 300SL; one that has always been kept in “drive it at a moment’s notice” form, a car never having been neglected or left to sit for many years at a time like so many other cars of this era. The Colonel John Burnside 300SL Roadster is one of the purest 300SL Roadsters you will find anywhere in the world, very much retaining the touch of those who built the car in Germany back in 1959; importantly, a car retaining perhaps the most well chronicled history file of any 300SL Roadster in the world.
