SOLD 1961 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster

Concours Appeal, Touring Dream

As noted in the Gullwing Group 300SL Roadster Registry, chassis 002757 has been in California ownership since new. As late as 1977, the car was in the ownership of Alain Roger Maynet of Santa Barbara, California. Subsequently, after a brief year long stint in the possession of Camarillo based collector Prince Richman, the 300SL Roadster would enter into a 24 year tenure of ownership with Gilbert K. Ranney of Huntington Beach. Under the Ranney ownership, it was reported to and recorded within the Gullwing Group Roadster registry that the car had 52,000 miles on it as of 1988. In 2003, the car would transfer to Scott E. Moncrieff of La Jolla and finally, in 2011, the current Beverly Hills based German auto aficionado gained possession of the car. At the time of purchase by the current owner the car had accrued just 56,066 miles from new and was painted DB 180 Silver-Grey Metallic with it’s original 1079 red leather interior, which had been dyed black, still in place.

In 2016, the current owner enlisted marque expert 300SL restorer Hjeltness Restorations of Escondido, California to perform a concours show quality restoration of the car in the fabulous period correct color combination of DB 904 Dunkelblau (dark blue) over 1079 leder rot (red leather) with red carpets. In addition to the superior quality of the restoration work performed by Hjeltness, Rudge-style knock off wheels were procured for the car and painted body color, while elsewhere on the car desirable Bosch European headlamps were fitted while the ultra-clean presentation was finished off by the addition of bumper-guard-less bumpers in the front and rear of the car.

Given the low mileage, largely original condition of the car prior to restoration, and because of the current owners desire to maintain the integrity and original driving feel of the Roadster, the concours restoration of the car was performed without the intention of not only creating a show quality appearance, but also a factory quality, vibrationally accurate feel while the car is in use. The mirror-like finish of the dark blue paintwork on the body speaks to the exhaustive amount of preparation work undertaken prior to application of paint, with the same attention to detail paid to the precise fits found surrounding the doors, hood and trunk gaps. All the chrome, including bumpers and all exterior trim pieces were refinished to the highest standards by Christensen Plating of Los Angeles, California.

The interior of the car lends further uniqueness to the top-tier restoration performed by Hjeltness, complimenting the superior quality of the finishes of the exterior paint and trim. The leather used in the car is the correct semi-gloss equivalent of the original, and now unavailable, Roser leather hides used by the Mercedes-Benz factory during the original run of production. All the dash gauges and dash trim have been redone to the highest standards, with the carpets also being expertly trimmed in the correct style of German square weave. As part of the interior restoration, both the original white wheel and a Roadster specific concave wood Nardi wheel were added to the car along with a full restoration and fitting of the hard top and hard top trim. A soft top in red has been fitted to accentuate the interior and a two-piece set of matching red leather luggage has been fitted to occupy the trunk space and round out the box-checking, top-to-bottom, show quality presentation of the 300SL.

During the comprehensive restoration, the engine and all mechanical components were rebuilt by long-time, well respected 300SL mechanic Marx Mercedes Service of Costa Mesa, California. All mechanical components were removed from the engine bay and cosmetically restored so as to match the cosmetic standards set by the rest of the car, with correct factory finishes applied to every mechanical facet under the hood. The Roadster retains its factory installed, numbers matching engine as well as its original 4-speed manual gearbox. This 300SL Roadster retains all of its original factory-installed tags including the firewall chassis tag, front frame cross member chassis tag and engine block tag. The undercarriage of the car, while remaining in a well-kept, largely original condition, was subject to rubber changes and other maintenance where needed during the restoration; an area of the car specifically kept as original as possible in order to maintain the driving integrity of the car and original feel while in motion.

According to this spectacularly restored 300SL Roadster’s factory data card, chassis 002757 was completed at the Stuttgart Mercedes-Benz factory on February 3rd, 1961. The US delivery car was originally painted DB 50 weis (arctic white) over 1079 leder rot (red leather) with red german square weave carpets. The car also came with an 872 schwarz (black fabric) soft top along with a body color hard top and Continental tires.

Of note and significant towards the rarity of its specification from new, this 300SL Roadster was delivered with “big drum” racing brakes, a braking system known for its superiority over the standard drum brakes that came before it. Those familiar with this lesser known, intermediary 300SL braking system know it to be similar in performance to the disc-braking system that came shortly thereafter in its ability to stop the car at high speed, but unlike the disc brakes, the big drum brakes allow for the fitting of desirable Rudge-style knock off wheels, giving the car both mechanical superiority and versatile options towards its appearance. Of the three braking systems implemented throughout 300SL production between 1954 and 1963, spanning both Coupes and Roadsters, the “big drum” system found on this car is the rarest by a significant margin.

This top-level 300SL Roadster has been thoroughly restored to the highest possible standards by 300SL experts Hjeltness Restorations, a specialist firm known for its best of show winning W198 Coupe and Roadster restorations. With less than 1,000 miles of use since restoration in 2016 and low mileage overall from new, this open 1961 W198 is a never-before-exhibited concours ready example and is well sorted for long distance touring or daily driving. Chassis 002757 is an exceptional Mercedes-Benz presenting today in DB 904 Dunkelblau (dark blue) over 1079 red leather with European headlamps, Rudge-style knock-off wheels and is bumper-guard-delete for an unusually clean, sleek overall appearance. The car comes with both a body color hard top and red fabric soft top which compliments the red leather interior. Further accessories include 2-piece fitted matching red leather luggage for the trunk space, original books and tools, a spare wood Nardi wheel and knock off hammer.