For Sale: 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL in Astoria, New York (2024)

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Vehicle Description

1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Factory Rudge Wheel RoadsterThis W198Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster is 1 of just 27 examples delivered newwith Rudge 'knock-off' wheels while retaining its factory appliedoriginal DB 180 Silbergrau Metallic paint and 1079 Rot leather.This 300SL retains all of its original 'numbers matching'components and retains all five of its original, date-coded 300SLRoadster-specific Rudge wheels along with its original Hepcoluggage suitcases. Having never before been exhibited on a concoursshowfield in the United States, this exceptional W198 Roadsterchecks all of the boxes of a preservation show winner with unusualrarity throughout and is mechanically a star, fully sorted for longdistance touring use.A Confluence Of Spectacular RarityThe abilityto have Rudge "knock-off" wheels fitted to a 300SL Roadster when itwas delivered new was a special order option continued over fromthe 300SL "Gullwing" Coupe production run. Of the 1400 Gullwingsproduced between 1954 and 1957, estimates suggest that around 350of them, or 25%, were delivered new with the racing inspired,center-locking Rudge wheels installed. 300SL Roadsters deliverednew with these special wheels, however, were far more rare. Of the1858 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadsters produced between 1957 and 1963,a mere 27 of them, less than 1.5% of the total Roadster production,were delivered new with the now ultra-desirable option of Rudges.So rare are 300SL Roadsters delivered new with Rudge wheels, thatthe known number of these specially optioned cars produced byMercedes-Benz is less than that of aluminum bodied 300SL Gullwings,of which 29 are currently known. From a collectibility standpoint,the "Factory Rudge" designation is indeed the rarest and mostcoveted original option for the W198 Roadster model, and by asignificant margin.In addition to factory Rudge wheel Roadsterexamples being significantly rarer than factory Rudge Gullwings,the wheels themselves are also different in size. Whereas theGullwing Rudge wheels are 5 inches in width, the Roadster Rudgewheels are larger at 5.5 inches, giving them a wider footprint, andthus, better grip to the road. The wheel faces of original RoadsterRudges are also distinctively stamped with "300SLRO", furtherdifferentiating them from the Gullwing wheels that came beforethem. As it would turn out, 1957 would be the final full productionyear for the fitting of Rudge or other knock-off wheels to new carsin Germany. In 1958, new German transportation laws prohibited theuse of these "knock-off" wheels, affecting not only Mercedes-Benzbut also other famous German manufacturers such as BMW andPorsche.The manner in which these special "knock-off" wheelstransform the presence of a 300SL is of such desirability todaythat aftermarket reproduction versions of the original Rudge wheelshave been manufactured at great expense and have been fitted tohundreds of 300SL Roadsters that otherwise originally came fittedwith standard bolt-on hubcap wheels. The precious few examplesspecial ordered new with Rudge wheels are standard bearers withinthe Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster production run, with most of the'Factory Rudge' Roadsters residing as permanent fixtures in thesome of world's finest collections. Very rarely do they come aboutas for sale.According to a copy of its factory data card, thisexceptionally rare and original 300 SL Roadster left the factory atStuttgart-Unterturkheim on October 21st, 1957 and was originallydelivered to North America via Mercedes-Benz Distributors WesternLtd. of Vancouver in late 1957. The Mercedes was finished in DB 180Silbergrau Metallic (Silver-Grey Metallic) paint over a 1079 Rot(Red) leather interior with a Schwarz (Black) top; all of which isretained today in a beautifully patina?d factory-originalcondition. Further specifications included instruments in English,sealed-beam headlights, 3.89:1 rear-axle ratio, Becker Mexicoradio, two-piece luggage set, and, most notably, 5.5x15 KPZ Rudgeknock-off wheels. The car was and remains equipped with engine no.198.980.7500338, gearbox no. 216, front axle nos. 367 (left) and366 (right), rear axle no. 374, and body no. 198.042.7500268, allretained by the car today.Merle Solland, second owner of chassis7500348 300SL Roadster, recorded recollections of his stewardshipof the car in a professionally compiled history book thataccompanies the 300SL today, noting that the car?s first owner wasa successful commercial apple farmer hailing from Wenatchee,Washington. The apple orchard owner?s daughter came to love thesporty open-topped W198 Mercedes-Benz and, as a teenager, she woulddrive it around the family?s orchard property. However, as sheapproached legal driving age, her father decided a less powerful,and perhaps more modest automobile would be a better choice.Mr.Solland, a world-record-holding hydroplane racer, learned of the300SL?s availability through a racing acquaintance of his in thespring of 1964, and also heard that the owner was looking for amore subdued car for his daughter. So, when Solland went to theapple orchard to look at the Roadster, he purposely drove hishumble Ford in hopes of striking a trade deal of some manner. Theapple farmer explained to Mr. Solland that I can?t tell her no, sogive me a little money, leave the Ford here, and take home theMercedes. Mr. Solland enthusiastically did just that, driving homethat day in his extraordinary Rudge wheel Mercedes-Benz 300SL. TheSolland family would go on to retain the 300SL for the next 54years. Kurt Solland, son of Merle, recalled that when his fatherpurchased the car, it had covered roughly 36,000 miles and remainedoriginal except for an off-yellow paint job, which he believed wasapplied by the Roadster?s original owner while the car lived at theOrchard farm in Wenatchee.In 2018, Jan Kanevad, a Swedish collectorwith an eye for original finishes and otherwise exceptionaloriginal sports cars, purchased the ?57 Rudge wheel Roadster fromthe Solland Family, he became the car's third and most recentprivate owner. Upon purchasing the car, Kanevad employed 300 SLspecialists HK-Engineering of Polling, Germany to go through thecar mechanically as well as carefully remove its layer of yellowpaint to reveal the original Silbergrau (silver grey) metallicpaint beneath. The craftsmen and technicians at HK were able tosuccessfully remove the top layer of yellow-golden paint appliedearly in the 300SL's life at the apple orchard, and they were ableto accomplish this daunting preservation project in part becausethe yellow-golden repaint had poorly adhered to the factory appliedsilver as the yellow-golden paint was substrate more suitable topainting barns than sticking well to shifting metal car bodysurfaces.As testament to HK-Engineering?s dedication, the companystopped counting its time at 1,000 hours for this prolonged,laborious work with respect to the meticulous process of paintremoval to achieve revealing the original factory silver. As proventoday by extensive paint meter readings recorded by Scott GrundforCompany upon arrival to our facility in California, the car indeedretains the vast majority of its original DB 180 silver-greymetallic paint finish, except for a blend on the right front fenderand several small areas including on the hood, which have all beendone so expertly it is quite difficult to spot even if you knowwhere to look.Scott Grundfor Company can confirm that this timecapsule 300SL also retains original factory-installed 1079 Rot(red) leather upholstery, today presenting in a timelessly patina?dcondition. Even its rubber floor mats, trunk mat, headlights,taillights...for more information please contact the seller.

Vehicle Details

• 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL
• Listing ID:CC-1879199
• Price:$2,650,000
• Location:Astoria, New York
• Year:1957
• Make:Mercedes-Benz
• Model:300SL
• Exterior Color:Silver
• Interior Color:Red
• Odometer:0
• Stock Number:25213
• VIN:25213