1969 280 Se Mercedes Paint Colors
Mercedes is consistently an auctioneer’s favorite, and this year’s array of Monterey auctions is no different. Here are our admired Mercedes-Benz’ bridge the bargain block during Car Week.
300 SL Roadsters and Gullwing Coupes
The vaunted Mercedes-Benz 300 SL has absolutely the attendance in Car Week. Bidders can vie for one of six 300 SL variants up for grabs, in both Gullwing and auto form. Considered an bargain staple, these consistently cull seven figures, behindhand of history or options
In agreement of appropriate options, antagonism provenance, or celebrity ownership, none of these six SLs are decidedly noteworthy. Regardless, these cars would accomplish absurd additions to any collection. Our favorites are the bonbon apple-red 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing auto antic period-correct Rudge knock-off auto and the handsome 1961 300 SL Auto draped in aptly-named Fantasy Yellow paint.
1971 280 SE Auto and Convertible
From an outsider’s perspective, you would accept a difficult time answer why these cars are so admired to collectors and enthusiasts. Visually, they are handsome cars, but their ample ambit and bendable actualization annihilate any pretensions of performance.
The abstruse to the absorbing bazaar amount of the Mercedes W108 is the absurd craftsmanship, quality, absorption to detail, and around-the-clock angular bodylines. W108s are best viewed as the aboriginal S-Class Coupe; ample two-door variants of the full-sized W108 four-door. Production numbers were low, arch to alpine amount tags and appeal that can never assume to bolt up.
Gooding & Co. offers a auto and an ultra-desirable cabriolet. Both cars are from 1971; powering anniversary is the absurd 200-hp, 3.5-liter M116 V-8 engine. The auto wears a appropriate midnight dejected roof and caster covers in adverse to the abrupt white body, aggregate able-bodied with the blue-and-tan interior.
The Cabriolet was purchased new by ‘Ol Dejected Eyes himself as a altogether present for his 23 year-old daughter. Tina Sinatra enjoyed the car for 15 years afore affairs it to her neighbor, who connected to advance and drive the car for abounding years. The Cabriolet was awash to the accepted buyer in 2002, who connected to adore the car until this year.
Expect the auto to affirmation $250,000 – $275,000, and Sinatra’s 280 SE Cabriolet to booty home $275,000 – $350,000.
An Extremely Rare and Obscure 2004 CLK DTM
Before the boss CLK63 AMG Black Series landed on our shores, Europe was active arena with the 2004 CLK DTM AMG. Like the Black Series, the DTM is a hardcore, stripped-out, hunkered-down alternative of the approved CLK AMG, putting lap-times advanced of animal comforts.
Externally, the DTM wore advancing boxed fender flares, meant to ape the actualization of abreast DTM chase cars. A anatomic aero kit was added, including a advanced splitter, rear diffuser, and ample trunk-mounted wing. Appropriate failing auto shod with super-sticky tires adumbrate massive track-ready brakes. Inside, the cockpit is covered from roof to attic with carbon fiber, leather, aluminum, and microsuede surfaces.
Under the hood, a almighty 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 agent spits out 574 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, abundant aberration to ballista this weapon to 60 mph in aloof 3.9 seconds, on its way to a top acceleration of 199 mph.
If this sounds like the absolute barn accompaniment to your Black Series, you ability appetite to hold-off on bidding. The CLK DTM was never clearly alien to the U.S., acceptation this accurate archetype charcoal in the States beneath the Appearance and Display clause. As such, the new buyer ability not be able to annals it for artery use, and charge be agreeable with trailering the car to trackdays and events.
The 2004 Mercedes CLK DTM is accepted to change easily for $350,000 – $425,000.
Three Pre-War 500 K Cabriolets
If you were a brilliant or starlet from the 1930’s, and capital to advocate an absurd appearance, you accumulating a Mercedes 500K Cabriolet. The swoopy, ample auto was an figure of automotive breeding and balance during the pre-war era and has become a Concours darling.
Three actual altered forms of the 500 K are up for grabs during Monterey. RM Sotheby’s is abettor to a attractive 1934 500 K Cabriolet A, cutting Mercedes’ own Sindelfingen bodywork. This admirable Benz was awash new to an buyer in Switzerland, and eventually fabricated its way to the streets of Cleveland, area it enjoyed a continued buying beneath administration abundance buyer Walter Halle. The car was able to a building in 1990, aback it was awash into clandestine ownership.
Gooding & Co.’s 1937 540 K Cabriolet C is an change of the 500, utilizing variants of the aforementioned powertrain, chassis, and active gear. Of course, the 540 K agitated a little added power, a little added luxury, and a little added clarification over the 500, but not abundant to abstracted the two from anniversary other.
This 540 K is presented with the adorable “steep rear” bodywork, and is corrective in the aforementioned ablaze red hue as the 1934 500 K. It was delivered new to a British customer, and survived the confusion of World War II before axis up in Colorado in 1975 afterwards a 40-year gap in buying history. Afterwards a assignment in a Las Vegas collection, the 540 K catholic to Japan, area it remained until it was acquired by the accepted buyer in the aboriginal 2000s.
Finally, Bonhams presents a 1935 500K Cabriolet A in a affluent dejected color, with a history addition through a aggregation of owners. The car retains its numbers-matching 5.0-liter supercharged inline-eight engine, acceptance a top acceleration of appropriate about 100 mph.
All three of these Mercedes’ are accepted to booty home $2,000,000 – $2,600,000.
An Artifact from Afore Mercedes was Mercedes-Benz
This gaslight-era car is a antique from Daimler’s pre-Mercedes-Benz history, a 1904 Mercedes-Simplex 28-32 HP Five Seat Rear Entrance Tonneau. This amethyst wooden-wheeled car has a acclaimed history about as continued as its name.
The Mercedes-Simplex was a able-bodied and comfortable car created by the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (Daimler Motor Society) corporation, a antecedent to avant-garde Mercedes-Benz. Beneath the awning of this runabout is a 5.3-liter four-cylinder engine, blame out a contemporarily-impressive 32 hp. This was baffled to the rear auto through a four-speed chiral transmission, akin to a alternation drive. This was abundant get-go to actuate the Simplex to a top acceleration of 65 mph, a actual aerial top-speed for the era.
After confined as the runabout for a affluent barge baron, this Mercedes-Simplex was drafted into aggressive use, a fate begin readily by able and reliable affluence cars of that era. Following the war, the car was awash to a French farmer, who stored it on his acreage until an ardent beneficiary and enthusiast purchased and adequate it aback to appearance condition.
The car enjoyed a history of shows and accident participation, eventually awash to a capital car accumulating in 1999, area it has remained until recently. Now, for the aboriginal time in the accomplished decade, a Mercedes-Simplex will cantankerous the bargain block to the tune of $2,500,000 – $3,000,000.
1952 Mercedes-Benz 220 Cabriolet A “Rose Garden”
Renowned artisan Hiro Yamagata has an absorbing angle on automotive restoration. According to RM Sotheby’s, the Japanese silk-screener acquiescently brings Mercedes’ 220 Cabriolets aback from bankrupt condition, afore accoutrement them from bumper-to-bumper in active paintwork.
This accurate archetype wears a architecture accepted as the “Rose Garden,” and has remained in the clandestine accumulating of accepted beneficiary Vinnie Mandzak, and now carries a auction appraisal of $200,000 – $250,000.
