We often forget given how much of the spotlight is devoted to the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing and Roadster that there were other high-end models in the company’s lineup that are just as exclusive and sought-after today. That includes rare birds like this 1953 300S Roadster, a car that the auction description reminds us was “…more expensive than the 300SL sports car and almost double the price of the contemporary top-of-the-range Cadillac.” It was a range-topper, pure and simple, and today seemingly appears for sale less frequently than the winged-coupe we see splashed across glossy auction magazines on a monthly basis. Find this incredibly rare “S”-specification 300 Roadster here on the Bonhams website.
The “S”-designation meant a few different things for roadster shoppers in 1953: the 3.0L inline-six featured triple (as opposed to the standard twin) Solex carburetors and a raised compression ratio. This had the ideal effect of raising maximum power output to 150bhp and top speed to 110 miles per hour (176km/h). Power was routed through a four-speed manual gearbox with road-holding made possible by way of a four-wheel independent suspension. The styling wasn’t exactly racy, but you could certainly tell by 1953 standards that this was a high-performance luxury car, and that Mercedes was better than anyone at walking the line between the two.
And of course, regardless of the exact engine specifications, the interiors were downright gorgeous. Real wood trim, acres of leather, thick carpeting – all of which has survived to a surprisingly high degree in this 300S. The seats look usable as-is, but they won’t be left alone for long: the next owner is already planning a complete gut renovation of this classic cabriolet, setting it up to be sold at another auction down the line for even more money. Given it is believed to be one of just 141 examples produced with the S-package upgrades, you could argue quite easily that it deserves a rotisserie-grade restoration.
Despite being called a barn find, this 300S Cabriolet has emerged in surprisingly complete condition. The interior, engine compartment, and body all appear to be in very restorable condition. The story is fascinating: this particular car was used in Europe before being exported to Venezuela; a chance visit by an enthusiast from New York led to the car being imported into the U.S., where it has remained in the Tri-State area ever since, used sparingly for pleasure cruises and other jaunts that never crossed the line into becoming a daily driver. It has since been shipped to California for inspection, and it looks every bit like the survivor it’s presented as being.
These cars are built like tanks. We had a ’52 four cylinder contract job for another shop to repair or replace the wood framing in the driver’s door. The doors, cowl, and several other areas were all framed in Ash hand cut wood. You haven’t lived if you haven’t restored a car like this. Our ’53 MG TD was a lot easier to repair the wood on, especially since I declared I’d never do another Mercedes.
In the mid-70s a family friend and car buff bought a 300S cabriolet from a local guy who was apparently a stoner trustafarian who had inherited it and left it sitting in his garage to molder away. Our friend paid around $12,000 for it even then, money which would have bought a new Porsche 911. It didn’t run, was rusty as heck, and needed a complete restoration. He soon decided it was more work than even his considerable skills could take on, and sold it on at a profit. It’s undoubtedly still around somewhere, looking like a million bucks by now (or more).
Buy the wrecked Hellcat go cart and swap the running gear, make the old girl scream
This post is a bit late – Bonhams has already sold the car. A good friend of mine unearthed this car in a New Jersey garage where it sat since 1983, and consigned it with Bonhams. By the way, the “S” designation wasn’t what makes this special – all of the Mercedes-Benz W188 two-door coupes, cabriolets, or roadsters were designated either 300S (carbureted 150 HP) or 300Sc (with fuel injection and 174 HP). There was no “S-Package upgrade”. What makes this very desirable is that it is the sportier roadster version which is quite rare (only 141 300S roadsters and 53 300Sc roadsters).
Sold for US$ 472,500 (€ 419,626) inc. premium
27 Jan 2022, 10:00 MST
its interesting to see how these cars actually sell. If they are 60 yrs old or older they command plenty of money. I have a 2 year 1977 450 SEL 6.9 that was brought over in the mid 80’s. Its in great condition yet it seems that folks that look at Mercedes would pay more for a rusted out Mustang than for a 4 door sedan that is stock of the show room floor was 1/4 sec slower than a Corvette in the quarter mile…..
Hi Mark Mitchell! This find was amazing. The story goes than in 1981 or so the car was flown from Venezuela to NY, moved around from parking spot to parking spot (parking was very expensive and scarce, even in those days) and parked in 1983 in the New Jersey garage where I found it last year. It had not moved since 1983. Sometime earlier in its life, it was “refurbished” in metallic blue and a grey interior was fitted. When we aired up all four tires, the car rolled easily out into the light of day. The hood was stuck shut, so we could only peek from underneath to see that the engine was a 300 engine. The car was purchased on the spot. After we got the car home to California, we got the hood open and found that it had the original numbers matching engine according to the factory record obtained from MBZ. We cleaned the spark plugs, poured fuel into the carbs, hooked up a battery and it fired right up. The car was surprisingly complete, with all the top fixings, interior trim and a virtually untouched engine compartment. The auction catalog was incorrect on the original color-it was originally a light grey/blue with a seafoam green interior. Bonham’s was absolutely awesome in their handling of the car-they are a totally first class outfit.