Many cars out there are extremely valuable, but no matter how much they sell for during an auction somewhere, not many of them are as impressive as to make millions of us gasp. I’m pretty certain though this 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300SL roadster has everything it takes. This breed of Merc was introduced in 1954 as a coupe and three years later it came along as a roadster.
Being a two-seat sportscar somewhat derived from a race car (the W194) it wasn’t meant to be mass-produced the way the C-Class is today. So when all was said and done with the 300SL in the 1960s, the world had just 3,258 of these incredible machines to enjoy.
Like all such high-profile and highly valuable cars, the limited number of 300SLs changed hands repeatedly. Some of them were lost, others lost their appeal for one reason or another, but the majority of them, including the one we have here, were maintained and are worth millions these days.
This roadster was produced in 1963, the final year of the breed on the market. Over the years it was owned by people from the U.S., Japan, and Kuwait, and it’s now back in California to be part of the Mecum auction in Monterey. How much the owner hopes to fetch for it? That would be up to $2.5 million, if the right crowd is in the house.
And there are good reasons for such high hopes. The car comes with matching-numbers chassis, 3.0-liter 6-cylinder engine, and body, and it presents itself in restored condition thanks to a German specialist called HK Engineering, which worked on it back in 2003 – we’re told the car was barely driven since, but was very well cared for and stored in a climate-controlled garage.
It also boasts the original white color on the outside, the original black hardtop, and the correct (but not original) soft top. Equipped with Euro-spec headlights, despite being originally ordered from Los Angeles, the Mercedes boasts a red leather interior that’s simply to die for.
The owner also hopes the car’s rarity will be a factor for buyers as well. The roadster is one of 1,858 to have been made, and one of 209 to use the aluminum alloy block engine. Thrown into the package are a tool kit and jack, but also matching luggage.
As far as documentation goes, the Mercedes sells with a copy of the factory data card and owner’s manual. Papers on the full ownership of the car (just four people had it) are also included in the sale. The 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300SL is going later this month in California and we’ll definitely circle back to it to tell you how much it went for.