In February in Paris, RM Sotheby's will auction this beautiful red 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster. The price is still unknown but in the last auctions, it was always more than $US 1,000,000 for this stunning car.

History of the Mercedes 300 SL

In 1953, the U.S. distributor for Mercedes-Benz, Max Hoffman, asked to Daimler-Benz to put a road version of the W194, race car, into production. The first version was the coupé. But, Hoffman believed that a roadster will be a better idea. And he was right, following the success of the 300 SL Gullwing, the Mercedes-Benz_300_SL was a huge success.

So, in 1957 during the Geneva Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz presented a convertible version of the 300 SL Gullwing, the SL Roadster. The 300 SL Roadster was produced to 1,858 examples between its introduction in 1957 and the production's end in 1963 with a price of $US 11,000.

Specification

The mechanical performance of the 300 SL had been improved with a six cylinder engine upgraded with a competition camshaft from National Sprint League races. With its convertible soft top, the Roadster don't have the hot cabin problems of the Gullwing and always great performances.