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R121
Chassis n° 121042 6501028
Zoute Sale - Bonhams
Estimated : € 80.000 - 120.000
Sold for € 149.500
Zoute Grand Prix 2024
Knokke - Zoute
België - Belgium
October 2024
When the Mercedes-Benz 190SL debuted at the 1954 New York Auto Show, the flashes of glamour shining from the halo 300SL became that little bit more attainable. The 190SL, coded W121, shared its sense of style and several major components with the 300SL supercar, but diverged in two main areas. The 300SL's complex tube-frame chassis was swapped for a more conventional pressed steel monocoque, and the 190SL employed a smaller 1900cc single-cam inline four. The 190SL would always be more of a tourer than a hardcore racer, but priced competitively and offering that hit of post-war serotonin that America was craving, the 190SL was a runaway success. Over 25,000 were built during an eight-year lifespan.
Delivered new in elegant Pearl Grey (colour code DB125) over red leather (code 1079), our vendor purchased this lovely matching numbers example 190SL in 2021 to fulfil a long-held ambition of completing the Mille Miglia, which was done that same year with success. The Datenkart accompanying the car reveals it was delivered new to Los Angeles, USA, and was ordered with a list of options including Perlgrau "Sonderlackierung" - a special and desirable colour.
This190SL remained in the US until 2014, in the long-term ownership of Mr Edwin Kitt. It features the correct Solex twin-barrel carburettors. Presented in lovely condition after a professional restoration that seems to have been carried out a while ago (unfortunately no restoration details or photos are available). The 190SL has been maintained by recognized classic car specialist Phillippe Sybille in Belgium in recent years. Having hardly used the car since the Mille Miglia adventure, the current owner has decided to part with his beautiful 190SL and give the opportunity to its next custodian to participate in "the world's most beautiful race". The documentation includes Belgian registration documents, a current Mille Miglia Registro certificate and of course the Registro badge mounted on the front plate holder, a copy of an old US title, the owner's manual and a copy of the Datenkart confirming the car's original specifications and matching numbers.
I never saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac (though I did see a Crosby-Nash sticker on a LeBaron), but I was kind of tickled pink to find this peace sign on the back of this same 380SL sports coupe.
I'm sure the previous owner believed in peace in the utopian hippie sense - aren't Benz drivers bourgeois liberals? ;-) - but there is an obvious similarity between the peace sign an the Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star.
To quote Chris Matthews, "Hah!"
W198-II
RM Sotheby's
Salles du Carrousel du Louvre
99 Rue de Rivoli
Parijs - Paris
Frankrijk - France
February 2023
Estimated : € 1.500.000 - 1.800.000
Sold for € 1.748.750
When the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL first broke cover in 1954, it presented a blinding vision of the future. A technological marvel, the revolutionary machine set a new performance benchmark that sent shockwaves through the automotive industry. From its bold yet beautiful aerodynamic styling to the cutting-edge mechanical fuel injection that afforded its straight-six such power, the incredible ‘Gullwing’ blew its competition out of the water. But perhaps what is most remarkable was that it achieved such performance while also proving to be one of the most elegant, chic and desirable automobiles of the decade—a car often hailed as the first true supercar.
The Gullwing quickly found favour with wealthy enthusiasts and automotive cognoscenti, but the 300 SL only fully captured the imagination of Hollywood’s elite with the arrival of the open Roadster variant in May 1957. Powered by the same 2,996-cc straight-six engine that drove the coupé, the Roadster was tuned for greater power to help offset a 125-kilogram increase in weight. The rear suspension, which in the Gullwing presented such a challenge to drivers when pushed to the limit, was modified with single-pivot trailing arms with a lower pivot point that offered more consistent handling. The car’s trademark “gullwing” doors, meanwhile, were changed to more conventional units allied with lower sills, that allowed for more a more elegant entry and exit—a must for any silver screen starlet arriving for a premier at the Egyptian Theatre.
As well as being more practical than its tin-top sibling, the 300 SL Roadster had greater longevity, remaining in production until 1963. Just 211 examples were built in 1959, among them chassis 9500070, which was destined for delivery to the United States. Finished in the deeply attractive yet rare combination of Hellblau over a Blau leather interior, the car was delivered via Studebaker-Packard of South Bend, Indiana, and was first registered in the United States on 1 March 1959. It would go on to be owned by John Hwang of Garden City, New York, and later one Sigi Benzl.
By 1985, the 300 SL Roadster is noted as having entered the stewardship of Liong Liem of Fairfield, Connecticut. While in Mr Liem’s care the car underwent a lengthy restoration by Precision Autoworks of New Jersey, with dozens of invoices on file detailing work carried out between 1986 and 1993, the sum of which amounts to more than $115,000. A further $50,000 was spent with Pennsylvania-based James Garttmeyer Automotive Services between 1994 and 1998. In 2013, while still owned by Mr Liem, the Mercedes-Benz underwent recommissioning at Vintage Motorsports, Inc. of Malvern, Pennsylvania, when it was noted that the car had been sitting for more than 12 years. Accompanying invoices from November 2013 to November 2014 outline work amounting to more than $35,000.
In 2016, the car was sold at auction prior to being bought by the consignor, who immediately commissioned a second no-expense-spared restoration that was carried out by AutoRiparazioni Stefano Coratelli and Kessel Classic in his native Switzerland. A staggering €700,000 was lavished on the 300 SL Roadster between 2016 and 2021 to bring the car to concours standard, including full restoration of the engine and all mechanical components, complete replacement of the electrical system to factory specification, and sourcing of all correct spare parts and materials. A further €49,000 of upholstery work carried out by Selleria Santarelli, including a full re-trim in Creme leather—one of four possible combinations for the 1959 model year—and replacement of the hardtop headlining with correct light grey material, perforated exactly as the original.
The car is accompanied by a factory hardtop, a full set of books, a Karl Baisch luggage set, a sales brochure, and toolkit, in addition to samples of the materials used in the restoration.
Finished to an impeccable standard, with full matching-numbers chassis, differential, hardtop, engine, gearbox, steering box, and suspension—not to mention a highly desirable and rare colour—this Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster sits comfortably among the best examples of its type.
R129
Aguttes
Autoworld - Auction & Motion
Estimated : € 40.000 - 60.000
Sold for € 42.929
Autoworld
Brussels - Belgium
October 2025
The 1989 Geneva Motor Show was marked by the presentation of the brand new version of the SL, dubbed the R129. This generation represented a real technological leap forward compared to the R107, with the introduction of advanced safety systems such as ESP and a retractable hardtop.
This model was delivered to its first owner on June 22, 1998. The color combination chosen is also one of the most elegant, combining “Midnight Blue” (code 904O) with an exclusive bluegray leather interior (code 518A). Today, the car has only 4,650 km on the odometer. Of course, this model is literally in mint condition, both in terms of its bodywork and interior. Both are extremely well preserved, as is its hardtop, which is still in place and in mint condition.
Our test drive showed us that the car was in good working order, despite the very low mileage in recent years. Of course, a general overhaul would be necessary if the next owner wanted to run this car. Like the other SL in this collection, our car is one of those “exceptions that prove the rule”... The vast majority of SLs, especially in the R129 generation, have clocked up tens of thousands of miles thanks to their outstanding road handling qualities. Finding a model with such reasonable mileage is already a challenge in itself, and will become even more so in the coming years. So don’t miss this opportunity to add to your collection the SL from the 1990s, a symbol of a generation, in such exceptional condition. This opportunity may never come again...