There will be three classic Mercedes For Sale at RM Sotheby’s Driven By Disruption Auction in New York on December 10, 2015, this will be RM Sotheby’s second New York auction, the first was held last year (click the auction catalog to view lots).
What does ‘Driven By Disruption’ mean anyway? Well, according to the auction company it has to do with extremes and pushing the envelope…. in their own words this sale is “carefully curated to showcase the extremes of motoring history and the molds that were broken by engineers and designers in pushing the automotive envelope. From coachbuilt Classic Era marvels to wild customs and concepts, and feats of high performance, the roster spans more than 70 years of innovative styling and engineering.”
They’re also proud to highlight the fact that of the 31 collector cars to be offered, 16 have pre sale estimates over $1 million. Two of the three classic Mercedes in the sale are a part of that group of 16. In the order that they’ll appear at the sale:
Lot# 208 – 1955 Mercedes Benz 300 Sc Coupe
Estimate: $600,000 – $800,000
This particular 300 Sc is said to have covered just 58,522 miles since new. It’s an older restoration by a marque expert in California but still shows extremely well thanks to careful maintenance.
Lot# 220 – 1956 Mercedes Benz 300 Sc Roadster
Estimate: $1,200,000 – $1,400,000
Looking elegant in dark blue over medium brown leather, this could be the Roadster to complete a matched Coupe / Roadster pair that a motivated collector could put together at this sale. Reading through the auction description, I believe this car is also an older restoration. It’s also equipped with the optional, and rare, 7 piece luggage set. As usual, the catalog language is as entertaining as it is descriptive. How about this excerpt: “With that much luggage, a couple could easily travel in style across entire continents, journeys for which the comfort, handling, and performance of the 300 Sc would be perfectly suited, even in modern traffic conditions, as it is capable of cruising all day long at 75 mph. Frequent stops at filling stations, due to the rated fuel efficiency of under 14 mpg, would simply be excuses to chat with admiring bystanders.” I often wonder how many creative writing majors RM Sotheby’s has on staff.
Lot# 223 – 1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing
Estimate: $5,000,000 – $7,000,000
This is no run of the mill 300 SL Gullwing, this is the car Stirling Moss drove to a 2nd in class finish at the 1956 Tour de France. A special factory developed competition test and competition car, this one is full of period history. We put together a full write up and description of this particular car for the website, have a look at it by visiting: 1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing Driven by Moss to 2nd Place in the 1956 Tour de France to Be Offered at RM Sotheby’s Driven By Disruption Sale in New York
It should be an interesting sale in New York. One of the consignments receiving the most attention as the date draws near is Janis Joplin’s psychedelic painted Porsche 356. She sang about Mercedes, but apparently drove a Porsche ‘Lord won’t you buy me, a Mercedes-Benz?’
All images courtesy the auction company.