Registration number: MB-29-81
Manufacturer: Gallery Aaldering Arnhemsestraat 47 6971AP BRUMMEN, NL 0575564055 http://www.gallery-aaldering.com info@gallery-aaldering.com
When Mercedes Benz discontinued production of the legendary 300 SL Gullwing in the late nineteen fifties, the company faced a remarkable challenge. How do you succeed a car whose reputation had been built largely on competition success and advanced engineering? The answer arrived in 1957 with the introduction of the 300 SL Roadster. Not a replacement in the traditional sense, but a carefully evolved Mercedes Benz in which performance and comfort were brought closer together.
This Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster from 1962 belongs to the final production years of the model and forms part of the last 182 examples completed. This places the car within a relatively limited production group built during the period in which the Roadster had reached full technical maturity.
Delivered new to the United Kingdom in 1962, this example was specified from the factory in Fire Engine Red combined with a Cream leather interior. In 2015 the Roadster was entrusted to the Mercedes Benz Classic Center in Fellbach for a comprehensive restoration. Under direct factory supervision the car was returned to its original technical and visual configuration. The work is extensively documented in a substantial restoration file containing hundreds of photographs, providing complete transparency throughout every stage of the process.
During the restoration the body was stripped to bare metal while the drivetrain and all mechanical components were fully rebuilt. The interior was retrimmed according to factory specifications and the engine compartment finished in its correct configuration. The body was subsequently refinished in its original color combination. The steel wheels were restored exactly as delivered when new, featuring red outer faces with olive green inner sections, a detail characteristic of later production Roadsters.
Importantly, this Mercedes Benz retains matching numbers and matching colors. Verification was carried out with support from factory research and archive documentation confirming that the specifications correspond precisely with the original 1962 delivery.
From a technical perspective the 300 SL Roadster represents the final evolution of the original concept. The lightweight chassis was retained while a revised rear axle design significantly improved stability and driving comfort. The 3.0 liter M198 inline six cylinder engine delivers performance entirely befitting a high performance Grand Tourer of its era.
Since completion of the restoration and mechanical overhaul, this 300 SL has seen only limited use, allowing the car to remain in exceptionally well preserved condition. The combination of factory level restoration quality, comprehensive documentation and original specification results in a Roadster that presents exactly as one expects from a high caliber 300 SL.
You are warmly invited to view this Mercedes Benz by appointment. Should you reside outside the Netherlands, we will gladly assist with worldwide transport and export arrangements. Since 1975 Gallery Aaldering has been a family owned company dedicated to exceptional and historically significant automobiles for an international clientele.
