If you did not get exactly what you wanted for Christmas and are a European sportscar aficionado, we could have an idea for you. The Pick of the Day is a classic sports car that is eligible for every event you can think of, is both fast and fun to drive, has a remarkable history, and is one of the most reliable classic sports cars ever built: a 1961 Mercedes-Benz 300SL roadster.
These cars are a huge part of sports car history, with the 300 SL achieving many period race wins, including the Carrera Panamerica, Le Mans 24 and the Mille Miglia. The Mercedes 300SLs, in either the original “Gullwing” coupe or roadster forms, were favorites among celebrities.
They have such a strong position in the collector car world that the 300SL is effectively a form of “automotive currency” for investors and for those collectors who want to have cars easily traded for their next big thing.
The 300SL is one of the finest cars ever built with a level of craftsmanship and precision in assembly unrivaled from any car built in the 1950s and ‘60s. The solid way the doors shut and the overall sturdiness of these cars simply has to be experienced.
This 300SL roadster is finished in Schwarz Black with a Signal Red leather interior, and it looks to be an immaculate example of one of these spectacular cars.
The 300SL is advertised on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and according to the owner is a fully documented roadster that includes the previous ownership history and complete documentation of its high-quality restoration.
The photos in the ad for this car show a 300SL that has been restored correctly and completely with every detail attended to in the proper manner. The black with red interior looks fantastic and is a desirable combination for these iconic cars.
There is a significant downside to the 300SL, and that is the price. This car is being offered for $1.5 million, which is market correct for one with a top tier restoration. This means that any prospective owner should carefully go through the restoration documentation as well as have a 300SL specialist do a complete pre-purchase inspection of the car.
If this 300SL is as good as it looks, it should provide decades of vintage sports car adventures as well as hold its value in the long run.
To view this vehicle on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
I like this car, but rather buy a McLaren for that kind of money…!
I have always liked the looks on these Mercedes. I must ask my wife for a better Christmas gift next year! She wont even roll her eyes, this time she will pretend she didn’t hear me. SMHS
I met a guy in Germany who restores the Gullwing 300s. He had over 70 of them.
We spent a day with him. Did a test drive and learned a lot about its history
and engineering.
Definitely an education. Tubular framed sports car with
technology taken from Messerschmidt fighter planes. In its day, It was hands down
the fastest and most durable rally car made.
The report is on youtube. – https://youtu.be/9lJj1VAOv1c
The author really dropped the ball on this ‘perfect restoration’ MB 300SL. Let me burst the dream bubble the author presented.
The car actually is a chop shop product. The “perfect” $1.5 million dollar asking price is for a car that was born a gull wing 300SL and was chopped up to become someone’s idea of a convertible. This 300SL is a horror show abortion.
Lars how did you come up with this idea? The last 300SL ‘Gullwing” Coupe was built in 1957. This car is a 1961 which would make it a mystery never before heard of 1961 300SL coupe. To be fair when I read the description I was a bit thrown but then realized that they were describing the history of the 300SL as a model of car and not this specific car. Reread the sellers description.
By the way I have seen this exact car in person and discussed it with a friend who saw the story today. I did not realize that it was the same car as I wrote about until my pal let me know. This is not a chopped up Gullwing. On a side note in the last 20 years not a single person would chop up a coupe to turn it into a roadster. The amount of fabrication necessary to even attempt this would be unbelievable and given that 300SL coupe values have always outpaced that or the 300SL roadster the entire idea is ridiculous.