Though American collectors are getting a taste of how valuable early 1960’s Ferraris have become because of recent high profile collector car auctions, the Mercedes-Benz SL roadster of that era are not far behind them. Gullwing Motor Cars in Astoria, New York has posted a seven-figure 1962 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster this week in the Mercedes Section of the Cars On Line website. It is just one of a number of high profile exotic sports cars being offered at Gullwing Motor Cars this week.
After Mercedes-Benz distinguished itself in Grand Prix racing with the early 1960’s Mercedes-Benz Gullwing 300SL’s, they refined their offering for street use with the 300SL roadsters. These were fuel-injected and very fast cars, but they had better road manners than the racing version 300SL Gullwing coupes. By 1962, they were some of the most desirable sports cars sold in Europe. By ’62, four-wheel disc brakes were available and an aluminum engine block was added at the end of the ’62 production cycle. The 300SL roadster was discontinued in 1963 for an updated SL convertible model. But by that time 1,858 SL roadsters had been produced by Mercedes.
This 1962 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster is one of just 210 produced with disc brakes and an alloy engine block that year. According to Gullwing Motor Cars, it still wears its striking original color combination, white with beautifully preserved red interior, and has been under single family ownership for the last 30. It comes in its original European spec with just 80,000 kilometers. It also comes with its factory black hardtop as well as its owner’s manual and jack.
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