1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster

198.042.10.003252roadGermany

Engine: Inline-six with aluminum alloy block, sport camshaft, disc brakes standard
Colour: Fire Engine Red (DB 534)

Completed on 11 April 1963, this Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster (chassis 3252) is one of only 26 examples built during the final model year and the seventh-from-last produced. Equipped with four-wheel disc brakes, an aluminium alloy engine block, and a sport camshaft, it represents the pinnacle of 300 SL development. Originally delivered to Italy in Ivory with a black hardtop and red interior, it later received a factory rebuild under Italian ownership and was subsequently imported to the United States in the early 1980s.

Ownership

—Auction sale
Sold US$1,352,500
RM Sotheby's catalogue lot →
Date unknownAcquisition unknown
Italian owner
partial documentation
Custodian in Italy who reportedly commissioned a comprehensive factory-level rebuild around 1976; the car retains European-spec details consistent with this ownership period.
Date unknownAcquisition unknown
US-based 300 SL enthusiast, New York City area
partial documentation
One of a small group of noted collectors in the greater New York region who have held the car since its early-1980s US import; one of these owners fitted an aftermarket audio system.

Competition

No competition history extracted from the catalogue.

Maintenance & restoration

1976
Restoration
A comprehensive factory-style rebuild was reportedly carried out while the car was under Italian ownership; the car still presents in European specification as a result, retaining a metric speedometer, colour-matched wheel covers, and European-type headlamps.
The engine block is stamped 27 February 1973, consistent with documented mid-1970s work on the car in Europe.
—
Modification
An aftermarket audio system was fitted by one of the New York-area owners.
—
Modification
The rear axle internals were changed from the original 3.64 ratio to a 3.23 ratio gear set; the axle case itself is noted as numbers-matching.

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