Collector Car Auction Snapshot – 1961 Mercedes Benz 220SEb Coupe – Sold for $79,750 at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auction

During the SL Market Letter Team’s visit to Pebble Beach this past August we watched a lot of cars at several auctions throughout the week. One notable sale was that of a 1961 220SEb Coupe that was offered at the Gooding and Company sale at Pebble Beach.

David Gooding’s organization certainly finds wonderful cars to offer. The variety and presentation at Pebble Beach this year was spectacular.

Lot 150 – 1961 Mercedes-Benz 220 SEb Coupe – Sold for $79,750 (including buyer’s premium) – White w/ red leather. 4 speed manual transmission. Whitewall tires w/ steel wheels and hub caps. Ex MBCA Star Magazine cover car. Beautifully restored and difficult to fault. Chrome and brightwork excellent, engine bay looked like it just rolled off the assembly line, panel gaps even throughout.

Inside, outside, underneath… the car looked very nice and well done and we told him as much. At the auction later in the evening this SL Market Letter subscriber was indeed the high bidder.

Some might question paying almost $80,000 for a 220 coupe, but consider this… If you want a show quality W111 Coupe what would it cost to find a decent donor and have the car restored to this level? How long would it all take, two, three years? This car filled a hole in this particular collector’s garage. He liked the color combination, he decided it was worth it to pay up for a very high quality example that he can get in and enjoy tomorrow. I’m happy to see it go to such a good home.

(Main ‘Auction Snapshot’ image courtesy of Gooding & Company).