As one of just 26 300SL’s built during the final calendar year of production in 1963, this special order, one-of-one color combination W198 Roadster has been restored to concours standards by Mercedes-Benz Classic of Switzerland in the original colors of 648 Gelb over special order 1505 Cognac leather. This ultimate specification 300SL Roadster has a well known history from new and is one of just 209 examples built at the end of production equipped with a light aluminum-alloy engine and 4-wheel disc brakes
Highlights
- 1 of only 26 300SL’s completed in 1963
- Ultimate specification ‘alloy block’ roadster
- Concours restoration in original colors
- Chassis no. 198042.10.003243
- Special order vehicle
- 4-wheel disc brakes
- One-of-one color combination
- 648 Gelb paint
- 1505 Cognac leather interior
- Fitted matching Cognac luggage
- Factory hard top
- Soft top (chocolate brown)
- Extensive documentation from new
- FIVA identity card
- Copies of original MB build documents
- Original books and jack
Last Of The Breed
As 300SL Gullwing Coupe production was winding down in the latter half of 1956, the German publication Auto Motor und Sport reported on the first sightings of a modified 300SL chassis model in Stuttgart that had conventional doors and a convertible top. Debuting in March of 1957 at the famous Geneva Motor Show, the W198 Roadster model would enter production in May of the same year alongside the last of the Gullwing coupes with just 1,858 convertible examples built in total between 1957 and 1963. The elegance of these state-of-the-art open top German sports cars was fittingly equaled by their mechanical quality, a hand-assembled, race car inspired legendary build that was made consistently excellent throughout production in accordance with Mercedes-Benz tradition.
The process of creating the 300SL convertible variant was no small feat of engineering and, while visually similar to the Gullwing, the Roadster chassis was designed quite differently than its fixed-top brethren, most notably due to the change from vertically opening “Gullwing” doors to the more conventional horizontal swinging doors. Handling of the car was improved, made more forgiving with an upgraded rear suspension and the Roadster’s additional weight, due to thicker tubes in the chassis, was offset by a more aggressive, sport specification camshaft that was now paired to the 3.0-liter engine with top speeds approaching 140 miles per hour.
Predictably, the glamorous and precisely built 300SL Roadster was incredibly popular among top celebrities, business elites and luminaries of the era with pricing in excess of $11,000 at the end of production when chassis 3243 came into being. The low-production 300SL convertible did remarkably little to enhance the Daimler-Benz treasury in period, however, it surely paid dividends many times over, especially over time, in boosting the company’s reputation as a premier purveyor of the some of the finest, most well engineering cars in the world. The W198 chassis Roadster’s influence echos loudly today, with almost no serious collection of landmark sports cars considered truly complete without the presence of at least one top-quality example.
Significant in its rarity as one of only 26 Roadsters completed in the final calender year of production (1963), chassis 3243, the unique and beautifully restored 300SL presented here, was built new as the ultimate specification Roadster model, factory fitted with four-wheel disc brakes and a light aluminum-alloy engine along with desirable European specification headlights. Accompanied by copies of its original factory data card and production order addendum sheet specifying special order options, this 300SL Roadster was commissioned new on January 8th, 1963 and completed just one month later on February 7th for renowned businessman and furniture manufacturer Kurt Barnekow of Hamburg, Germany. Barnekow was the founder of KUBAH, an innovative furniture retail chain during the 1950s that served the whole of Germany. A lifetime automobile enthusiast with a small, unique collection of cars, Mr. Barnekow retained this rare end-of-production Mercedes-Benz ‘alloy-block’ 300SL Roadster for nearly 40 years with his name noted on factory the factory build sheet as the private commissioner of the car.
In the early 2000’s, noted car collector and Greek shipping magnate Peter Livanos became this 1963 300SL’s second private owner. During the Livanos ownership tenure, chassis 3243 was granted a FIVA Identity Card for its travels in Europe and was displayed at the 2005 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este at Lake Como in Italy as well as the 2006 Gstaad Classic in Switzerland. Subsequently, chassis 3243 was sold to Etienne Veen, a businessman and resident of the Swiss Alps region, who commissioned Pichler GFG AG, the Swiss Mercedes-Benz Classic Center located in Gstaad, to perform an authentic restoration of the car to the highest concours standards. This comprehensive restoration work, carried out between 2008 and 2010, included a return to chassis 3243’s distinctive, one-of-a-kind on a 300SL, original color scheme of yellow (Gelb DB 648) paint over special order 1505 Cognac leather, a leather color/texture combination not generally available as a standard option for the W198 Mercedes-Benz model, all of which is set-off by a contrasting black hardtop as originally delivered.
In 2014, following a return to Pichler for service work, the 300SL was sold to noted UK car collector and real estate baron William Ainscough. Ainscogh then sold the car to Philip Noble of Gibralter, and finally in 2021 the car made its way to the United States where it is offered today by Scott Grundfor Company. As a common occurrence early in life for many of the final 300SL’s built with factory installed aluminum engines, chassis 3243 is one of about half of the 209 alloy block 300SL Roadsters produced to have had its alloy short block exchanged early in life. The currently installed M.198.III aluminum block is a proper factory allocated 300SL alloy-engine replacement unit, one importantly retaining its original “tauschaggregat” (exchange unit) Mercedes-Benz factory tag with associated factory serial number 341350 for the unit. The retention of the factory “tauschaggregat” tag and accompanying serial number assure that the engine installed is indeed a factory sourced exchange unit and not an engine from another car. The factory exchange unit short block has a casting date of 1965 signaling the date of production for the unit and the likely year that the short block was installed into the car.
As offered, this very late production alloy engine 300SL Roadster is presented in its as-delivered color combination and remains in concours condition with almost no wear present on the 10 year old restoration performed by Mercedes-Benz Classic of Switzerland. Chassis 3243 is a Mercedes-Benz that has received excellent maintenance and care since new, enhanced as a particularly collectible 300SL given its ultimate specification as an ‘alloy-block ‘disc brake’ example paired with a one-of-a-kind original color combination. The car is accompanied by both body color Gelb painted hubcaps and set to match the black hard top for two uniquely striking presentations of the car.
Further details of note regarding this final specification, “last of the breed” 300SL Roadster include a clever thermometer housed within the driver’s side wing mirror along with a superb set of Cognac leather fitted matching suitcases for the trunk space. Other desirable extras include original tools and jack as well as copies of both the original factory data card and supplemental addendum data card specifying the special order nature of the car. Chassis 3243 retains a FIVA Identity Card from its travels in Europe and a robust history file containing a selection of service records and photos in addition to biographical information detailing the life of its long-term original owner, Kurt Barnekow.
Chassis 3243 300SL is an unusually unique and rare disc-brake alloy-engine example that inpresses from all angles of view. Ready for long distance touring use, daily driving and concours showing.
