Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster 1960, Alemanha
Fotografia
At the 1957 Geneva Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz introduced a
convertible version of the celebrated 300 SL coupe “Gullwing,” the 300 SL
Roadster. In an early suggestion of the increasing focus the manufacturer would
place on luxury cars over the ensuing decades, the new Roadster was above all a
more refined car than its winged predecessor.
There was no denying the 300 SL’s mechanical performance,
which had decidedly improved in the Roadster, with the updated six-cylinder
engine receiving the competition camshaft used in the NSL racing coupes, good
for a boost of 20 hp. Handling also benefited from a revised rear suspension
with a lower axle pivot-point, minimizing the tendency for oversteer. Despite
the added weight of chassis reinforcement required by an open model, the
Roadster was every bit the performance car that the Gullwing had proven itself
to be.
The Roadster’s overwhelmingly luxurious character,
however, generally obscured its performance capabilities. With a convertible
top, the model was never subject to the uncomfortably hot cabin that beguiled
the coupe, and the Roadster’s redesigned tube frame afforded lower door sills,
facilitating far easier access than the Gullwing’s challenging ingress and
egress.
The new 300 SL was an improvement on the Gullwing in
nearly every capacity, at least from a road-going perspective, and it has since
evolved into one of Stuttgart’s most collectible models, a darling of both
concours fields and vintage rallies.
The data card for this 300 SL Roadster notes its delivery
new by the Carlo Saporiti dealership in Milan, with a removable hardtop but no
soft top (“without cover”), and finished in the rather common color scheme of
White over Black leather interior. Interestingly, despite its having been
ordered in Milan, the car was built to U.S. specifications, indicating that
someone may have been taking what is now known as “tourist delivery.” There was
certainly no better automobile in which to be a tourist!
According to a letter on file from Paul Russell &
Co., the nearly new 300 SL was acquired in 1961 by Charles Dufton, who had
worked as an economist for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, later serving as a
marketing and sales analyst for Bendix and as a distinguished faculty member at
both Harvard and Northeastern University. A speaker of six languages, he
traveled widely, including extensive journeys in China and Tibet, and a visit
to South America in which he rafted down the Amazon at the age of 87!
Additionally he was involved in the family home contracting business in
Andover, Massachusetts. Mr. Dufton’s tastes in automobiles were as interesting
and diverse as the man himself; in addition to owning the 300 SL, he was a
longtime member of the Veteran Motor Car Club of America and the Rolls-Royce
Owners’ Club, and in 1997 participated in the London-Brighton Veteran Car Run.
Following Mr. Dufton’s passing in 2000, his daughter,
Gayle Nieburger, inherited the car. She sold it through Paul Russell & Co.
in 2014, as a very original car with 77,000 miles, which had by then been in
the same family for 54 years. Soon thereafter it was purchased by an enthusiast
in Southern California who commissioned its restoration by Almar of Kaczory,
Poland, a firm staffed by former Daimler-Benz factory employees. The car was
mechanically refurbished as-needed and finished in the striking period-correct
colors of Anthracite over Beige leather, with correct square-weave carpeting.
Upon the 300 SL’s return to the United States, additional cosmetic details
under the hood were further sorted, by Hjeltness Restorations of Escondido,
California.
Since its acquisition by the current owner, it has
continued to be well-maintained by the staff of his private collection, known
for the mechanical sorting and meticulous upkeep of its automobiles. To this
end the rear differential was changed to 3.25, using parts supplied by the
Mercedes-Benz Classic Center, for faster performance, and the fuel system has
been carefully tuned. The car showed about 200 miles when acquired and has been
driven over 800 since, very pleasurably. It retains its removable hardtop, in
body color, as well as a black soft top, proper set of fitted luggage, a full
tool roll, and a jack.
There are always several 300 SL Roadsters for offer, but
few boast this car’s desirable combination of an exceptional cosmetic
presentation and finely sorted drivetrain, as well as the most desirable
optional features of hardtop and fitted luggage. It is a beautiful 300 SL for
all manner of touring – in Milan, Massachusetts, or even the far-flung
destinations in which its longtime owner enjoyed his adventurous life.
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