Description
1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Factory Rudge Wheel Roadster
This W198 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster is 1 of just 27 examples delivered new with Rudge 'knock-off' wheels while retaining its factory applied original DB 180 Silbergrau Metallic paint and 1079 Rot leather. This 300SL retains all of its original 'numbers matching' components and retains all five of its original, date-coded 300SL Roadster-specific Rudge wheels along with its original Hepco luggage suitcases. Having never before been exhibited on a concours showfield in the United States, this exceptional W198 Roadster checks all of the boxes of a preservation show winner with unusual rarity throughout and is mechanically a star, fully sorted for long distance touring use.
A Confluence Of Spectacular Rarity
The ability to have Rudge "knock-off" wheels fitted to a 300SL Roadster when it was delivered new was a special order option continued over from the 300SL "Gullwing" Coupe production run. Of the 1400 Gullwings produced between 1954 and 1957, estimates suggest that around 350 of them, or 25%, were delivered new with the racing inspired, center-locking Rudge wheels installed. 300SL Roadsters delivered new with these special wheels, however, were far more rare. Of the 1858 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadsters produced between 1957 and 1963, a mere 27 of them, less than 1. 5% of the total Roadster production, were delivered new with the now ultra-desirable option of Rudges. So rare are 300SL Roadsters delivered new with Rudge wheels, that the known number of these specially optioned cars produced by Mercedes-Benz is less than that of aluminum bodied 300SL Gullwings, of which 29 are currently known. From a collectibility standpoint, the "Factory Rudge" designation is indeed the rarest and most coveted original option for the W198 Roadster model, and by a significant margin.
In addition to factory Rudge wheel Roadster examples being significantly rarer than factory Rudge Gullwings, the wheels themselves are also different in size. Whereas the Gullwing Rudge wheels are 5 inches in width, the Roadster Rudge wheels are larger at 5. 5 inches, giving them a wider footprint, and thus, better grip to the road. The wheel faces of original Roadster Rudges are also distinctively stamped with "300SLRO", further differentiating them from the Gullwing wheels that came before them. As it would turn out, 1957 would be the final full production year for the fitting of Rudge or other knock-off wheels to new cars in Germany. In 1958, new German transportation laws prohibited the use of these "knock-off" wheels, affecting not only Mercedes-Benz but also other famous German manufacturers such as BMW and Porsche.
The manner in which these special "knock-off" wheels transform the presence of a 300SL is of such desirability today that aftermarket reproduction versions of the original Rudge wheels have been manufactured at great expense and have been fitted to hundreds of 300SL Roadsters that otherwise originally came fitted with standard bolt-on hubcap wheels. The precious few examples special ordered new with Rudge wheels are standard bearers within the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster production run, with most of the 'Factory Rudge' Roadsters residing as permanent fixtures in the some of world's finest collections. Very rarely do they come about as for sale.
According to a copy of its factory data card, this exceptionally rare and original 300 SL Roadster left the factory at Stuttgart-Unterturkheim on October 21st, 1957 and was originally delivered to North America via Mercedes-Benz Distributors Western Ltd. of Vancouver in late 1957. The Mercedes was finished in DB 180 Silbergrau Metallic (Silver-Grey Metallic) paint over a 1079 Rot (Red) leather interior with a Schwarz (Black) top; all of which is retained today in a beautifully patina’d factory-original condition. Further specifications included instruments in English, sealed-beam headlights, 3. 89:1 rear-axle ratio, Becker Mexico radio, two-piece luggage set, and, most notably, 5. 5x15” KPZ Rudge knock-off wheels. The car was and remains equipped with engine no. 198. 980. 7500338, gearbox no. 216, front axle nos. 367 (left) and 366 (right), rear axle no. 374, and body no. 198. 042. 7500268, all retained by the car today.
Merle Solland, second owner of chassis the details belowSL Roadster, recorded recollections of his stewardship of the car in a professionally compiled history book that accompanies the 300SL today, noting that the car’s first owner was a successful commercial apple farmer hailing from Wenatchee, Washington. The apple orchard owner’s daughter came to love the sporty open-topped W198 Mercedes-Benz and, as a teenager, she would drive it around the family’s orchard property. However, as she approached legal driving age, her father decided a less powerful, and perhaps more modest automobile would be a better choice.
Mr. Solland, a world-record-holding hydroplane racer, learned of the 300SL’s availability through a racing acquaintance of his in the spring of 1964, and also heard that the owner was looking for a more subdued car for his daughter. So, when Solland went to the apple orchard to look at the Roadster, he purposely drove his humble Ford in hopes of striking a trade deal of some manner. The apple farmer explained to Mr. Solland that “I can’t tell her no, so give me a little money, leave the Ford here, and take home the Mercedes.” Mr. Solland enthusiastically did just that, driving home that day in his extraordinary Rudge wheel Mercedes-Benz 300SL. The Solland family would go on to retain the 300SL for the next 54 years. Kurt Solland, son of Merle, recalled that when his father purchased the car, it had covered roughly 36, 000 miles and remained original except for an off-yellow paint job, which he believed was applied by the Roadster’s original owner while the car lived at the Orchard farm in Wenatchee.
In 2018, Jan Kanevad, a Swedish collector with an eye for original finishes and otherwise exceptional original sports cars, purchased the ’57 Rudge wheel Roadster from the Solland Family, he became the car's third and most recent private owner. Upon purchasing the car, Kanevad employed 300 SL specialists HK-Engineering of Polling, Germany to go through the car mechanically as well as carefully remove its layer of yellow paint to reveal the original Silbergrau (silver grey) metallic paint beneath. The craftsmen and technicians at HK were able to successfully remove the top layer of yellow-golden paint applied early in the 300SL's life at the apple orchard, and they were able to accomplish this daunting preservation project in part because the yellow-golden repaint had poorly adhered to the factory applied silver as the yellow-golden paint was substrate more suitable to painting barns than sticking well to shifting metal car body surfaces.
As testament to HK-Engineering’s dedication, the company stopped counting its time at 1, 000 hours for this prolonged, laborious work with respect to the meticulous process of paint removal to achieve revealing the original factory silver. As proven today by extensive paint meter readings recorded by Scott Grundfor Company upon arrival to our facility in California, the car indeed retains the vast majority of its original DB 180 silver-grey metallic paint finish, except for a blend on the right front fender and several small areas including on the hood, which have all been done so expertly it is quite difficult to spot even if you know where to look.
Scott Grundfor Company can confirm that this time capsule 300SL also retains original factory-installed 1079 Rot (red) leather upholstery, today presenting in a timelessly patina’d condition. Even its rubber floor mats, trunk mat, headlights, taillights, and chrome are in original condition today. Of the most absurd rarity, this already unusually original and rare specification 300SL retains its original factory supplied soft top and rear plastic window accompanied by period-correct Continental tires fitted to the car’s original set of 1957 date-stamped Rudge wheels. The full extent of the rare features retained by chassis 7500348 are too numerous for a full recounting here, but generally, the car is one of the most original 1950's era Mercedes-Benz cars our company has ever seen taken in totality.
As they did with respect to the painstaking work on the 300SL Roadster’s exterior, an admirable attention to detail is evident in HK-Engineering’s approach to the car’s mechanical restoration in order to make it “as original” with respect to its function as a road-going machine. In the engine bay, original finishes are retained on many engine and ancillary components while the undercarriage, which was carefully cleaned with dry ice, also expresses itself in a beautiful 'ex-factory' original and rust free condition. Mechanically, overhauls of the 300SL’s engine, gearbox, suspension, rear end, brakes, and injection pump were performed, with receipts noting that HK balanced and blueprinted the engine to make it as vibration-free as possible.
Factory Rudge wheel 300SL Roadster chassis 7500348 distinguishes itself even further given the original documentation found within its history file. Impressively, original 1960s registration documents in addition to the car’s 1963 Washington license plates are retained with the car today while the car comes with a red factory original tool roll, jack, all original books, 300SL sales brochure, workshop manual, and spare parts book. The trunk is fitted with a sublime original set of 2-peice Hepco luggage manufactured in 1957 with two original keys that retain their original tag. The 300SL is also documented extensively via a large-format coffee table style history volume that recounts the history of the car with period photos. A second book was also created for the car, which includes discussion and photos of the preservation work performed by HK-Engineering at an eye-popping expense of over 215, 000 Euros.
Perhaps as noteworthy as any of the myriad notable features retained by this unicorn of a 300SL Roadster, as per a copy of its factory build record, this Mercedes-Benz retains its matching-numbers engine, body, chassis, steering box, rear end, and front axles. The factory data card lists the 300SL’s gearbox number as 7500216, while the unit installed in the car is stamped with no. 7500276. Scott Grundfor Company believes this to be a data card entry error given the closeness in appearance of a ‘7’ and a ‘1’, leading to our assertion that the car’s gearbox is almost certainly the one installed at the factory when new.
In all probability, this is the only original paint and original leather example extant with respect to the rare 'Factory Rudge' 300SL Roadsters, in other words it is an unrepeatable opportunity for the collector who must have the very best. Chassis 7500348 is without question among the finest Mercedes-Benz 300SLs in existence from a purity standpoint. Its level of preserved originality is frankly astonishing, and with just three owners from new and a rarely seen level of care since it was first built, it is hard to imagine a more desirable W198 convertible anywhere in the world. This quintessential 300SL has a known history from new and has received a full mechanical restoration by one of the world’s foremost specialists of the 300SL model in addition to expert-driven preservation services of the highest order. It is perhaps too often said but rarely as true as in this case, you may find this 300SL Roadster’s equal, but you would be hard pressed to find one more historically relevant given its original specification and 'ex-factory condition in concert with the array of other intrinsic, almost singularly qualities it holds in aggregate.
Rare 'Factory Rudge' 300SL RoadsterOriginal paint, leather and soft topChassis no. the details below48Engine no. the details below38Body no. the details below68Matching numbers throughoutNorth America special orderThree private owners from newOriginal DB180 Silbergrau Metallic paintOriginal 1079 Rot leatherRetains all 5 original Rudge wheelsOriginal Hepco luggageOriginal 720 black soft topBecker Mexico radio1:3. 89 rear axle ratioSuperbly documented 300SLOriginal books, tools, KO hammer and jackCopy of factory data card44, 042 original milesPrice: $2, 650, 000
