• Year of manufacture 
    1961
  • Mileage 
    87 900 km / 54 619 mi
  • Car type 
    Convertible / Roadster
  • Drive 
    LHD
  • Condition 
    Used
  • Interior colour 
    Black
  • Interior brand colour 
    Zwart
  • Number of doors 
    2
  • Location
    Netherlands
  • Exterior colour 
    White
  • Gearbox 
    Manual
  • Drivetrain 
    2wd
  • Fuel type 
    Petrol

Description

Transmission: 4 gears, Manual gearbox
Model year: 2021
Registration number: MB-28-99

The Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupé was launched in 1954. It was a further developed street version of the then Mercedes-Benz racer, the W194, which was designed by the genius engineer Rudolph Uhlenhaut. At the request of the American Mercedes-Benz importer Max Hoffman, a street version of the W194 Grand Prix racer was developed. That became the W198 I, the Gullwing. The Gullwing was immediately a great success when it was introduced, but after a few years sales declined somewhat and Mercedes-Benz decided to develop a convertible version for the California market, which became the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster W198 II. The car came on the market in 1957 shortly after Mercedes-Benz had completed production of the Gullwing. Uhlenhaut had some wishes for the development of the Roadster, so he wanted to provide the rear axle with a completely new design. However, the management of Mercedes-Benz blocked that idea and reminded Uhlenhaut that there were still 3,000 rear axles ready to be mounted and that the development costs for the convertible were already higher than expected. Uhlenhaut decided to further develop the existing rear axle and in this way make the car steer better than the coupé. In any case, the introduction was not the endpoint for the 300SL Roadster with regard to the development of the car. For example, the car was given the hardtop in 1958 and the 300SL got Dunlop disc brakes all around in 1961, the year in which this car was produced. Mercedes-Benz built only 250 units of the 300SL Roadster in 1961.

If we look at the Datenkarte present in the documentation, we see that this Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster was ordered in the beautiful white colour that it still wears today and the car was further ordered with some seats, hardtop, radio Becker Grand Prix USA and a black hood. The car is still in top condition today. The car has been technically overhauled by the previous owner with a great eye for detail and originality in recent years. In total, around € 150,000 was invested in the maintenance and overhaul of this 300SL Roadster. The car has never needed restoration and is therefore still equipped with the original interior. In addition, the body has only been painted once in its original colour.

If we look at the extensive documentation for the 300SL Roadster, it becomes clear that the car was in the possession of the first owner and none other than Daniel Peterkin Jr. until 1988. He was a prominent businessman, investor and aviator. After his death, his widow Dorothys sold. Peterkin gave the car to an ex-employee of Max Hoffman, Harry Woodnorth, who had meanwhile started his own business. He sold the car shortly after getting the car into stock and in April 1990 the car ended up with former Le Mans and IMSA driver: René Herzog in Switzerland. Shortly afterwards, he, in turn, sold the car to Uwe Holy, one of the sons-in-law of and founder of the fashion group of the same name: Hugo Boss. He owned the car until 2014, after which the car went to the last Swiss owner. The history of the various owners is endorsed by means of copies of old titles and sales receipts and are present with the car.

During the period that Holy owned the car, the 300SL was converted from US-Spec to Euro-Spec, the car got an odometer, the engine and other technology were completely overhauled and the car was made optically perfect. The work was all carried out by specialists and extensively documented by means of invoices and an extensive photo report that is present with the car. In the time that Uwe Holy was the owner, he has only driven a total of about 8,600 kilometres with the car and only 4,000 kilometres after the extensive engine overhaul. The technology is therefore perfectly in order. This is arguably one of the best driving 300SL Roadsters on the market. The M198 engine produces 240 hp and is mated to a precise-shifting four-speed manual transmission.
It is not only the technology that is perfectly taken care of. The appearance of the 300SL Roadster is just as beautiful. The body is in beautiful condition with beautiful thin sheet metal and perfect fits. The hardtop fits perfectly everywhere and the fabric hood is also in good condition. The chrome-plated mouldings and the paint are also in top condition, as you would expect from a masterpiece like this.

The interior shows that Mercedes-Benz was way ahead of its time in the 1950s when the car was developed. The interior is very modern for that time with clear instruments and ergonomically pleasantly placed instruments. The interior of this car is covered with beautiful and original black leather that only has very light signs of use on the driver's seat but otherwise looks perfect. It is wonderful to see that the previous owners have taken such incredible care of the car. It is certainly also due to the fact that the car has always been stored inside that the interior still looks so beautiful. The carpets are also in very good condition, as is the top of the dashboard. It is simply a feast for the eyes and a joy to drive with a car like this.

Thanks to Uhlenhaut's diligent drive to develop his cars year after year, this Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster is objectively a much nicer driving and better car than a 300SL Gullwing could ever be. The rear axle is superior and the well-distributed Dunlop disc brakes give you the ability to fearlessly shake off the speed that the 240 hp M198 in-line six can produce. In addition, thanks to the lower and narrower side sills, it is much easier to get into a Roadster. This beautiful matching numbers and colours example adds the factory-delivered hardtop. In short, this beautiful Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster is in top condition and in one of the best possible compositions and with beautiful documentation, including an original manual and an original maintenance book. We can only say that this is a top car.

Gallery Aaldering is Europe’s leading Classic Cars specialist since 1975! Always 400 Classic and Sportscars in stock, please visit www.gallery-aaldering.com for the current stock list (all offered cars are available in our showroom) and further information. We are located near the German border, 95 km from Düsseldorf and 90 km from Amsterdam. So easy traveling by plane, train, taxi and car. Transport and worldwide shipping can be arranged. No duties/import costs within Europe. We buy, sell and provide consignment sales (selling on behalf of the owner). We can arrange/provide registration/papers for our German (H-Kennzeichen, TÜV, Fahrzeugbrief, Wertgutachten usw.) and Benelux customers. Gallery Aaldering, Arnhemsestraat 47, 6971 AP Brummen, The Netherlands. Tel: 0031-575-564055. Quality, experience and transparency is what sets us apart. We look forward to welcoming you in our showroom