Mercedes-Benz 300 SL models shine in Scottsdale sale

1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Coupe. Photos courtesy Bonhams.

By anyone’s definition, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, in either coupe or roadster form, is a desirable automobile. Bidders at Bonhams’ Scottsdale sale emphasized this point by largely overlooking a sea of lust-worthy Ferrari models, instead bidding a trio of Mercedes-Benz 300 SL models (including a coupe and a pair of roadsters) into the sale’s top-10.

Leading the Stuttgart charge was a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Coupe, purchased new by Lord O’Neil, a cabinet official who would later become the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. Assembled in July of 1955, the special-order coupe left the factory wearing the same shade of Fire Brigade Red paint it carries today, and its interior was finished in fawn MB-Tex with red plaid cushions. Instrumentation was in English, not German, and a 3.42:1 rear axle ratio was specified.

It’s not precisely clear how long Lord O’Neil owned the car, but it passed through two more owners in the UK before landing with a U.S. owner sometime in the 1970s. The then-unrestored car was acquired by the consignor in 2005, and a full restoration (by marque-specialist Scott Grundfor) in the car’s original livery was begun. The car carries its original drivetrain, and additions made during the restoration process include a period-correct set of fitted luggage and an alternate set of seat cushions, prepared in fawn MB-Tex. The Mercedes-Benz coupe sold for a fee-inclusive price of $1,375,000.

1958 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster.

The pair of roadsters that cracked the top-10 included a 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, showing just 57,000 miles on the odometer and complete with its original interior and factory-crated hard top, which commanded a price of $1,237,500; and a 25,400 kilometer 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster, restored by Paul Russell and Company circa 2000. Described as a driver-quality car wearing an alternate livery, this 300 SL roadster commanded a price of $902,000.

1948 Automobile Shipper Special Indy Roadster.

Other lots in the top-10 in Scottsdale included a 1966 Ferrari 275GTB Competizione, sold for a price of $9.405 million; a 1964 Shelby 289 Cobra, sold for a price of $1,017,500; a 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta, sold for a price of $748,000; a 1938 Bugatti Type 57 Roadster, sold for a price of $671,000; a 1914 American Underslung 646 Five Passenger Touring, sold for a price of $528,000; a 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300S Coupe sold for a price of $511,500; and a 1948 Automobile Shipper Special Indy Roadster, sold for a price of $473,000.

For complete results from Thursday’s Scottsdale sale, visit Bonhams.com.