This 1961 Mercedes-Benz 300SL roadster is a matching numbers example with 61k verifiable miles from new that has been with its enthusiast owner for 23 years. The car has never been offered for public sale, having just two-long term owners. It’s entire history is known and recorded from day one. The seller is a very knowledgeable and charismatic gentleman who has averaged around 1000 miles/year behind the wheel, saying he primarily uses it for Gullwing Group gatherings, weekend drives, and beer runs. In preparation for sale on BaT he had a comprehensive pre-purchase inspection (viewable below) completed by Albrecht Stachel’s Brooklyn Motoren Werke, considered one of the best vintage Mercedes-Benz shops in the region. It is worth noting that the car was driven, not trailered, 500 miles round trip from Indiana to Wisconsin to complete the inspection last month. The seller sold his 300SEL 6.3 here via BaT Auction two months ago, and after a great experience is back now with his pride and joy shown here.

Chassis 002730 was delivered new to Walter Compton in March 1961. Dr. Compton, a non-practicing physician, served as CEO of Miles & Ames Laboratories, the predecessor to what’s now Bayer AG. He succumbed to Alzheimer’s at age 91. The second (current) owner, himself a Mercedes-Benz collector of four decades, purchased the roadster from the Compton family in 1993 with 39,024 miles. It had been driven fewer than 2000 miles from 1977-1993 under Compton’s ownership, so the seller tended to the deferred maintenance at the time and has used it regularly ever since.

This is not a perfect concours 300SL, but rather a well-loved and faithfully maintained driver. It received one re-paint in factory standard Db 50 in early ’80s, which has held up well. The seller says “the flaws, minor, are too numerous to detail, the cost of originality. Minor surface rust under the rear eyebrows, both sides, resembles stage IV adolescent acne.” The aging original soft top was replaced last year by Paul Russell and Company. Factory steel wheels were replaced with MB new OEM chrome wheels acquired in 2000 from a generous, retired MB employee. Five new Michelin tires were fitted last year.

The body and chassis are sound and areas of corrosion are described in the PPI and photographed in detail. There is galvanic deterioration present where the aluminum rockers abut the sheet metal, and more serious metal corrosion at the leading edges of the left and right rear inner wheel arches, as well as leading and trailing edges of both front inner wheel arches. Stachsel concludes that none of the surface rust represents any significant deterioration of the body metal.

The interior is a mix of original and restored. Paul Russell recovered both driver and passenger leather seats, tonneau, arm rests, and window sills. The original leather on the dash, door panels, door sills, and seat console are well preserved and the owner has allowed them to remain original. Gauges are clear and functional, the PPI noting only a jumpy fuel gauge. A halon fire extinguisher was mounted distal to the driver seat as a prudent precaution.

The seller has driven the car all over the US and says it is equally effective for running routine errands or attending out of state car MB meets. On the road it is a reliable driver that runs strong and cool, the PPI demonstrating that it displays healthy idle and operating oil pressure and a steady operating temperature around 180 degrees (in 86 degree ambient heat). Stachel does note wear in the differential, stating that the right rear wheel has excessive run-out reflective of wear at the right side spider gear against the spider gear housing. The engine and transmission have hardly any leakage and the driveline is reported to be dryer than normally seen on this model with no unusual vibrations at speed.

Engine 198-980-10-002731 is original to the car as confirmed by the Mercedes-Benz build card and other supporting documentation. Other identifying numbers include transmission 002958, front axle 002788, rear axle 002895, and steering box 002773. 300SLs changed to dual floating shoe front drum brakes in 1960, a major improvement over the early cars and generally considered to be as effective as the later disc brake cars. 002730 was in the first 50 of 250 roadsters produced in 1961, the year that Dunlop disc brakes on all four wheels were introduced beginning with chassis 002780. The seller has driven both versions and says braking is comparable with the main advantage to the discs being during high speed rally and track competition.

The car is sold with many original ancillary items including the complete tool kit, Bilstein jack, Hazet tire iron, both sets of factory steel keys, all manuals and illustrated parts edition C, Becker Mexico instruction booklet, and two leather snap-on cushions which protect head bumping when the soft top is up. Also included are the rare ‘ventilschluess’ valve adjusting tool (198 589 03 01 00) and wheel balancing weight protractor which allows for wheel balancing at home.

A large history file is compiled in a portfolio that will be included in the sale. Service and ownership documentation is thorough and partially shown below. Michael Toth’s Quality Import Service in Elkhart, IN has provided a high standard of care for local routine maintenance.

The seller sums up the ownership experience thusly, “Behind the 16″ steering wheel, at speed, you don’t really care where you’re going. It’s a car. A nice car, perhaps, but still, a car. The reason for sale is quite simple and not market timed. After 20+ years of exhilarating rides, many cross-country, the time has come to pass the baton of stewardship to the next generation, hopefully for conservation and preservation. These cars will outlive us all, so our decision is without regret, grateful to have enjoyed the ride.” Be sure to check out the entire photo gallery here via Flickr.