Pre War to the Pagoda – RM Auctions to Offer 12 Mercedes-Benz Cars in Monterey
Monterey car week is almost upon us, before the buying and selling frenzy begins, let’s take stock of what RM Auctions will be bringing to market this year from our beloved marque. RM’s sale at the Portola Hotel and Spa is always a production, with auction cars on display inside the Hotel as well as outside, and even along the pedestrian mall in the heart of downtown Monterey, regular ‘non-car folks’ (if there are any in Monterey) get a chance to see these cars up close.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing to be offered at no reserve.
RM has 12 Mercedes-Benz cars on offer, from a 1934 500 K Tourer by Mayfair (Lot 252, estimate: $700,000 – $900,000) to a 1968 280SL recently restored in Germany with a fresh repaint in its original, and very charming color of Hellblau Metallic (DB 906). There are no less than 4 300SLs on offer, 3 roadsters and a Gullwing with auction estimates as low as $900,000 up to a high estimate of $1,600,000. Even without seeing these cars in person yet, it wouldn’t surprise me, in fact, I would expect, at least a couple of sale prices above that $1,600,000 mark for the finest examples.
1957 190SL in black with green leather interior and soft top.
There are two 190SLs available, a 1957 model and a 1960 model, both with auction estimates well above $100,000. Various cabriolets from the 1950s, 60s and 70s will also be present including a 1953 300 S Cabriolet A, a 1957 200S cabriolet and a 1971 280SE 3.5 Cab estimated to bring mid $200,000s.
1968 280SL.
According to a press release the SL Market Letter received on June 25, 2014, RM was to be offering one of the 29 alloy-bodied 300SL Gullwings at their Monterey sale. Curiously, that car is absent from the current online catalog for RM’s Monterey sale. Perhaps we’ll learn more about that story on site.
1953 300 S Cabriolet A.
All of the cars RM will be offering are listed below with lot numbers, auction estimates and actual links to each vehicle’s detail page from the online RM Auction catalog. As usual, the photography is spectacular for these highest of high end Mercedes, we’ll look forward to inspecting them in person.
Lot 104 Without Reserve
1957 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL Roadster
$175,000 – $225,000
Lot 111 Without Reserve
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing
$1,000,000 – $1,400,000
Lot 114
1936 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Cabriolet by Sindelfingen
$1,100,000 – $1,300,000
Lot 122
1962 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster
$900,000 – $1,100,000
Lot 123 Without Reserve
1957 Mercedes-Benz 220 S Cabriolet
$140,000 – $180,000
Lot 130
1971 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet
$240,000 – $280,000
Lot 203 Without Reserve
1960 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL Roadster
$140,000 – $180,000
Lot 228
1961 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster
$1,300,000 – $1,600,000
Lot 238
1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster
$1,300,000 – $1,600,000
Lot 252
1934 Mercedes-Benz 500 K Tourer by Mayfair
$700,000 – $900,000
Lot 253
1953 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Cabriolet A
$750,000 – $1,000,000
Lot 260 Without Reserve
1968 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL Roadster
$125,000 – $175,000
(All photos used in this article courtesy RM Auctions)