The first Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, the brainchild of legendary European car importer Max Hoffman, was designed to serve as a more lifestyle-oriented complement to the outlandish 300 SL Gullwing Coupe.

Hoffman built on the racing-oriented Gullwing’s curvaceous shape, allowing both the hardtop coupe and the subsequent roadsters to share a design language that was unique to the Stuttgart automaker in the early 1950s. Both the six-cylinder 300 SL and four-cylinder 190 SL models were marketed, but the less expensive latter vastly outsold its “big brother,” proving that Hoffman's knack for success was unparalleled among automobile importers.

That the 190 SL was both stunning to behold and a good deal more practical for real-world use helped seal the deal for well-healed buyers, particularly in trendy Southern California. More than 26,000 found owners during the 190 SL’s 1955 to 1963 production run.

The car offered here was restored to a high standard in the factory-correct color of Graphite Grey, and it has a correct red vinyl interior, as it would have in 1961. Importantly, the space behind the front seats is occupied by the rare and desirable “kinder seat,” allowing a third adult or, as the name suggests, a child to ride along, facing sideways; this is a feature that would be widely copied on later SL Roadsters. The car is also still equipped with its rare, original factory-delivered hardtop, which has been restored to the same standard as the rest of the car. The chrome trim has a wonderful deep shine, as does the finish, and under the hood shows only light evidence of enjoyment on the road. The car has recorded only about 1,400 miles since restoration, and it is ready for continued showing and driving.

This is a splendid example of one of the most popular open Mercedes-Benz models.