300SL Sales at Monterey 2012 Auctions
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| 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster: Record breaking preservation example sells for $1.6M |
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| 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing: Sold for $1,127,500 |
1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster
$1,595,000
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing
$1,127,500
1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL “Gullwing” Coupe: RM Lot 144 $875k
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL “Gullwing” Coupe: RM Lot
250 $1,171,500
1960 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster: RM Lot 146
$814k
RM Auctions Full Results
Gooding & Co. Full Results
Why $1.6M For a 300 SL Roadster?
Desirability inevitably drives any market. Over the past few years, it has become increasingly evident that there is a shift in valuation going on in the vintage car market insofar as fully restored automobiles are being supplanted at the summit of the industry by well preserved (and sometimes even not so well preserved) original examples of similar cars. Originality and value for classic cars go hand in hand. This has been the case in other collectible genres, so it is not surprising that the collector car market is tacking in this direction.
I had the opportunity to inspect in great detail the 1963 Roadster and have on several occasions been in possession of the 1955 blue Gullwing you see to the left. The roadster is a beautiful, low mileage unrestored example (not to mention the most desireable alloy/disc-brake variant of the roadster), while the gullwing was a top quality restoration (done by a leading restorer) mulitple show winner that was largely unused in its recent history. Both cars had good history. Both cars were well maintained and well presented at auction, thus bringing very high auction prices. So why such a gap in the prices when recent sales history shows a much closer price point for such high level examples?
The most notable difference between the two cars, both of immaculate quality and with excellent provenance is simple, one was a preservation car and the other was restored.
Of note, the 63′ Roadster appeared to have been repainted (in period).
to discuss how, for a fraction of the cost a restoration incurs, we can add considerable immediate and long term value to your vintage automobile using our preservation process. Every car can benefit from our preservation work, including recent and older restoration cars.
More on our Preservation Processes here
Contact or Visit Us!
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Our beautiful restoration facility and showroom are located halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco on the Central Coast area of California. Give us a call to set up a time to come visit us if you’re in the area. We’d love to have you stop by!
Please contact us with any questions you might have regarding our 30+ years in the collector car consignment and restoration industry and how we might be of assistance to you.
Sincerely,
Scott Grundfor
Scott Grundfor Company
805.474.6477
