Rare 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster with original Rudge wheels and paint now for sale. Own one of just 27 ever made, priced at £2m ($2.65m). Rare 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster with original Rudge wheels and paint now for sale. Own one of just 27 ever made, priced at £2m ($2.65m).

Super rare Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster – one of only 27 made – for sale at £2m

Rare 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster with original Rudge wheels and paint now for sale. Own one of just 27 ever made, priced at £2m ($2.65m).

An extremely rare Mercedes-Benz car – one of just 27 of its kind – is now for sale.

The 1957 W198 300SL Roadster’s perhaps most unique design is its five original, PZ Rudge knock-off wheels.

These were a special order option; of the models produced between 1957-1963, less than 1.5% have the feature.

READ MORE: Pair of vintage 1930s Talbot-Lagos motors reunited for the first time in decades

The vehicle also retains its original ‘numbers matching’ components and Hepco luggage suitcases.

Most of the Factory Rudge Roadsters are permanent fixtures in the some of world’s finest collections and are rarely up for sale, as reported by Luxury Auto News.

Rare 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster with original Rudge wheels and paint now for sale. Own one of just 27 ever made, priced at £2m ($2.65m).
The Mercedes-Benz 300SL. (Picture: Jam Press)

The car left the factory at Stuttgart-Unterturkheim on 21 October 21, 1957.

The following year, local transportation laws were introduced to prohibit the use of the Rudge wheels – not only affecting Mercedes-Benz but also BMW and Porsche.

Rare 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster with original Rudge wheels and paint now for sale. Own one of just 27 ever made, priced at £2m ($2.65m).
The Mercedes-Benz 300SL. (Picture: Jam Press)

The car has a DB 180 Silver-Grey Metallic finish and a red leather interior with a black top.

Further specifications included instruments in English, sealed-beam headlights, 3.89:1 rear-axle ratio, a Becker Mexico radio and two-piece luggage set.

Rare 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster with original Rudge wheels and paint now for sale. Own one of just 27 ever made, priced at £2m ($2.65m).
The Mercedes-Benz 300SL. (Picture: Jam Press)

Merle Solland – a world-record-holding hydroplane racer – became the car’s second owner in 1964.

The family would go on to retain the 300SL for the next 54 years.

Merle’s son, Kurt Solland, recalled that when his dad bought the car, it had covered roughly 36,000 miles.

Rare 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster with original Rudge wheels and paint now for sale. Own one of just 27 ever made, priced at £2m ($2.65m).
The Mercedes-Benz 300SL. (Picture: Jam Press)

In 2018, Jan Kanevad, a Swedish collector with an eye for original finishes and exceptional sports cars, purchased the car.

He became its third and most recent private owner.

Rare 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster with original Rudge wheels and paint now for sale. Own one of just 27 ever made, priced at £2m ($2.65m).
The Mercedes-Benz 300SL and all it’s accompanying gear are for sale at £2m. (Picture: Jam Press)

Kanevad employed 300 SL specialists HK-Engineering of Polling, Germany to remove the vehicle’s then layer of yellow paint to reveal the original metallic paint beneath.

Rare 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster with original Rudge wheels and paint now for sale. Own one of just 27 ever made, priced at £2m ($2.65m).
The Mercedes-Benz 300SL. (Picture: Jam Press)

It is believed that this is the only original paint and leather example of the rare ‘Factory Rudge’ 300SL Roadsters.

Rare 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster with original Rudge wheels and paint now for sale. Own one of just 27 ever made, priced at £2m ($2.65m).
The Mercedes-Benz 300SL. (Picture: Jam Press)

The motor is for sale with Gullwing Motor Cars Inc at approximately £2m ($2.65m).

READ MORE: Aston Martin purchased by Hollywood star Hugh Grant after hit rom-com heads under the hammer for £65,000 in Chichester

Subscribe today for the freshest car news delivered to your inbox

×
×