This Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster holds a truly fascinating origin story, which has been extensively researched over the years with support from the factory. Out of just 26 examples built in 1963, chassis number 198.042.10.003257 offered here was specified with White (DB 050) paintwork over a Red (DB 030) leather interior. As one of the final 209 Roadsters made, it was fitted with the coveted alloy-block engine and supplied with disc brakes. Completed on 7 February 1963, this is the penultimate 300 SL to roll off the production line, with chassis 003258 bringing the illustrious W198 lifecycle to an end the very next day.

Whereas that final car found a private buyer the same month, this Roadster landed in Austria to be sold by a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Salzburg. However, after 10 months, it had yet to tempt an owner—likely an outcome of the new and considerably less expensive W113 SL having arrived. As a result, the car returned to Stuttgart in November to be converted for the North American market. The subsequent fitment of sealed-beam headlights, instruments that read in miles, a Becker Grand Prix radio, and whitewall tyres means this car is documented with two factory data cards. Notably, the car kept its European-specification 3.64 rear axle.

Finally, accompanied by a hardtop roof, this car was collected by its first owner in the United States on 14 February 1964, more than a year after its original production date. Just three out of all 1,858 Roadsters completed were invoiced to 1964, making it amongst the final 300 SL Roadsters sold. Per correspondence in the history file between 300 SL historian Dr Frank Spellman and Daimler-Benz Classic, chassis 003207 was released similarly late on its way to the Shah of Iran, and at least one further car is known to have been delivered in 1965.

Concluding the protracted search for a custodian, the first known owner of this Mercedes-Benz is one Mr Robert Lindsay—as evidenced in the history file by a 22 September 1967 invoice from British Motor Cars of Spokane in Washington, when the odometer was noted with 19,050 miles. The following January, just 315 miles later, Mr Lindsay returned to BMC to have a new engine block and pistons fitted. It is believed that the replacement unit was an unstamped spare from the factory, as was common practise for the less proven and more fragile alloy 3.0-litre M198 straight-six.

Mr Lindsay retained ownership through to late-1970, before the 300 SL Roadster was bought by Mr Bill Sutherland of the Sutherland-Marlow Mercedes-Benz concern in Spokane. Prior to selling the car at the end of the following year, he had covered nigh on 10,000 miles. A final 24 November 1971 service receipt from his custodianship logged the odometer at 28,547 miles. From December, chassis 003257 was retained by fellow marque dealer Mr Phil Smart Sr of Seattle.

A vehicle valuation report dated 22 April 1987 still listed Mr Smart Sr as the owner of the 300 SL, at which time it was noted at 33,000 miles. Then, according to the Gull Wing Group International’s The Roadster Register, this car was purchased by renowned collector Mr Gordon Apker. Reportedly, come 1988 he was contacted by a Mr David Brice. At a time when Roadster values had barely crept above $100,000, the Australian investor clearly seeking only the very finest example offered a colossal $500,000. Naturally, chassis 003257 had found its new owner. In 1992, having already acquired Mr Brice’s alloy-bodied Gullwing, legendary 300 SL collector Mr Thomas Taffet of Chatsworth in California bought this matching-specification White over Red convertible. Three years on, he sold the Roadster to a German collector.

At the turn of the new millennium, one Phil Smart Jr had tracked down his father’s former 300 SL and bought it back into the family in Seattle. In 2001, he tasked marque specialist Rudi Konicezk of Rudi & Company in Victoria, British Columbia with a bare metal respray. Newly resplendent in its factory colour combination, the car was gifted back to Smart Sr.

The father-and-son duo retained possession for a further 14 years. During this time, the Mercedes-Benz made several appearances at the Kirland Concours d’Elegance. An accompanying rosette was awarded when the Roadster claimed second in its class in September 2013, as chassis 003257 marked its 50th anniversary. Subsequently acquired by a prominent collector in California, who kept the car for five years, in 2020 the 300 SL Roadster was imported to the United Kingdom by its consigning owner.

Notably, in 2024 the Roadster was sent to 300 SL specialist Martin Cushway of Sudbury in Suffolk. A comprehensive service, including the fitment of a new timing chain and refurbishing of the rear axle, was completed as part of work exceeding £20,000. At this time, Cushway inspected the car and recorded it as having retained its original chassis, body, gearbox, rear axle, plus left and right kingpins. While the unstamped replacement engine (dated October 7, 1965 on the block) sports a tag bearing the car’s original engine number (198.982.10.000218), Cushway states that the camshaft and cylinder head appear to be original.

Accompanied by a Mercedes-Benz Classic Certificate issued in April 2007, this fantastic and storied 300 SL Roadster is further complemented by its factory hardtop roof, owner’s guides in their folio, and a two-piece fitted luggage set for the boot. Also accompanying the car is the aforementioned file, comprising of three folios, as well as Gullwing Group technical tip folio, workshop manual, a tool kit, jack, and spare wheel and tyres in the boot.

Regarded by many as the original supercar, the W198 is extremely desirable in any form. The Roadster model, introduced in 1957, then improved upon the breed. Of the convertibles, it is the later examples to feature an alloy-block engine and disc brakes that are most coveted among collectors. Chassis 003257 offers all those immensely appealing traits in addition to being an extremely rare example of a beautifully preserved and unmolested 300 SL. The mileage showing 39,143 miles at the time of cataloging is almost certainly the car’s original mileage. Upon close inspection it is very clear that this is not a car which has been disassembled and rebuilt; rather this is a car that has been cherished and preserved by a handful of highly respected collectors. More than that, it is this car’s standing as the penultimate Roadster built and its incredibly late delivery date that must surely rank it as one of most exceptional 300 SLs on the planet.