Unrestored Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupe sells for $1,897,500 in Scottsdale

This 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was a top seller on day one in Scottsdale. Photo by Brian Henniker, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

The first of two 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL coupes, both black with a red leather interior, has crossed the stage at the Gooding and Company auction in Scottsdale, and bidders have declared that an unrestored Gullwing has a value of $1,897500, including buyer’s fees. That handily exceeds that auction company’s pre-sale estimate of between $1.1 and $1.4 million, and likely sets the stage for today’s sale of the restored 1956 300 SL coupe.

The selling point of the unrestored 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was its originality. Though some of its black paint had been touched up over the years, the bulk of the finish was said to be original, and the red leather interior was the same one that the car left the factory with nearly six decades ago. Even the torn and sagging headliner was original to the car, leaving the new owner with difficult choice: refubish the car as needed for preservation, or restore it to a factory-fresh state. The other Gullwing, which  crosses the stage today, may boast shiny paint and rebuilt mechanicals, but it left the factory as a red coupe with a green tartan interior, meaning the black with red leather configuration currently worn by the car may detract from its value. How much (if at all) will be determined by today’s bidders.

1952 Cunningham C3. Image courtesy of Gooding & Company.

Other cars cracking the top 10 of yesterday’s Gooding sale included a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Series 1 Cabriolet, which sold for $6.16 million, setting a new world record for the model at auction; a 1956 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Series 1 Coupe, which sold for $3.3 million, also setting a new world record for the model at auction; a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe Speciale, which sold for $2.365 million; a 1959 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, which sold for $1,430,000; a 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO, which sold for $1.4 million; a 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona, which sold for $649,000; a 1954 Alfa Romeo 1900 C SS Coupe, which sold for $649,000, setting a new auction record for an Alfa Romeo 1900SS; a 1937 Hispano-Suiza K6 Coupe, which sold for $621,500; and a 1952 Cunningham C-3 Coupe, which sold for $550,000. Also realizing the same $550,000 selling price was a 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 Sc Coupe, which set a new auction record for the model.

The auction sold 57 of 59 lots offered on its first day, and some of the most highly anticipated cars will cross the block today. Will a reported barn find 1967 Ferrari 330 GTS set an auction record? Will the 1929 Duesenberg Model J Dual Cowl Phaeton that once belonged to John Duval Dodge exceed the pre-auction estimate of $2.0 – $2.3 million? Can Gooding maintain its 97-percent sales rate? We’ll know the answers to these questions soon enough.

For more information on Gooding and Company’s Scottsdale sale, or to watch the live broadcast of Saturday’s event, visit GoodingCo.com.