2017 Gooding Pebble Beach Sale (Mercedes 300 SL Announcement)

Gooding announced a pair of single-owner, unrestored Mercedes Benz 300 SLs – a Gullwing and a Roadster – for the Pebble Beach 2017 classic car auction.

Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing and Roadster — © Gooding

Gooding revealed two very special Mercedes Benz 300 SL sports cars as early highlights of the Pebble Beach 3017 sale. The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing (estimate: $1,000,000-$1,300,000) and a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster (estimate: $800,000-$1,000,000) come from single family ownership. Both cars are low-mileage examples in original, unrestored condition but seem reasonably sound and drivable. Although 300 SL prices are off their peak from a year or two ago, the early valuations seem rather conservative.

Gooding & Company Pebble Beach Sale 2017

Gooding & Company, the official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, will held its annual Monterey Week classic car auctions on August 18 & 19, 2017, at the Equestrian Center in Pebble Beach, California.

In 2016, Gooding set a new company record earning $129,8 million in sales during the two-day event. The 115 of the 138 lots offered sold for a sell-through rate of 83% and an average of $1,128,606 per car. Gooding sold 26 cars for more than a million dollars with four selling for more than $10 million.

Mercedes Benz 300 SLs at Gooding Pebble Beach 2017

Gooding revealed a pair of Mercedes-Benz 300 SLs, a Gullwing and a Roadster, that come from single family ownership as early highlights for the Pebble Beach 2017 sale in August. The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL has always been revered as a pinnacle of design and engineering, with highly original examples that showcase limited mileage and long-term ownership being the most coveted by collectors. Such is the case with these recently found cars. The Gullwing and Roadster have been cherished throughout their 60-year-plus lifetimes, and now the time has arrived for new caretakers to enjoy these wonderful automobiles.

“Today, some 60 years on, it is almost impossible to find another pair of 300 SLs still in their original family ownership and unrestored,” notes Garth Hammers, Specialist at Gooding & Company. “I think collectors are going to be very excited to see these two particular cars come to auction at Pebble Beach.”

1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing

The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing (Estimate: $1,000,000-$1,300,000) was ordered by a car-loving publishing executive living in the Midwest in the mid-1950s. When he ordered a 1955 Gullwing through Max Hoffman’s New York dealership, he eschewed convention and adamantly specified that his new sports car be outfitted in British Racing Green (DB 221) over tan leather. A rarely seen color combination among the total of 1,400 Gullwings built. Even more surprising, this Gullwing has accrued just over 16,000 miles from new and remains in original, unrestored condition.

1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster

The 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster (estimate: $800,000-$1,000,000) was bought to complement the owner’s Gullwing shortly after the debut of this more practical 300 SL. The 300 SL Roadster is finished in the stunning Silver-Blue Metallic (DB 353) over a gray leather interior and a parchment soft top. The Roadster now shows just under 38,000 miles and still retains its original matching Karl Baisch luggage set. As one of the most iconic and beautiful designs in the history of Mercedes-Benz, this Roadster is an untouched beauty and the perfect preservation candidate.

Although Mercedes Benz 300 SL prices have been much weaker in 2016 and 2017 than in 2014 and 2015, the early estimates for these two cars look rather conservative. Although details are still limited, these two cars seem in very good original condition and although unrestored not barn finds that will required a big budget to bring back to the road.