MERCEDES-BENZ SL

1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster — The Hollywood Roadster


Delivered from the Daimler-Benz factory on October 31st, 1957, to Mr. Philips, believed to be a United States Army officer stationed in Kaiserslautern, Germany, dressed in Elfenbein Ivory (DB.608.H) over sumptuous red leather (DB 1079), with a black hood and a specification configured exclusively for the American market: English instruments, sealed-beam headlights, Becker Mexico radio, red leather luggage set, and a long-ratio rear axle built for the open highway.


What followed is the stuff of Hollywood legend:


The car made its way to California, where it entered the orbit of the major studios. A previous owner once noted that the original windshield bore permanent parking permits from both Columbia Pictures Corp and Warner Bros, silent witnesses to a golden era of American cinema, long since lost to time. The car was subsequently bequeathed by testament to its custodian, Richard C. Thober of MGM Studios Construction Office, Culver City, before passing to private ownership in Oceanside, California, where it carried license plate SJA 282 for nearly two decades.


In March 1981, it was sold for $10,000 to a Swedish collector and began a new chapter across three countries. Sweden, then the United Kingdom, where it passed through the hands of Ivan Page-Ratcliff, one of Britain's most respected 300 SL specialists.


The car underwent a comprehensive body-off restoration in the 2000s, yet retains its original red leather interior to this day, beautifully aged, with the kind of magnificent patina that no restoration could ever replicate.
This Roadster is accompanied by an exceptional archive of original period documents, including the factory Lieferschein, California registration cards, original Bill of Sale, title transfer documents, Mercedes-Benz Club Certificate of Origin and extensive private correspondence tracing every chapter of its life across five countries and nearly 70 years. One of the most complete ownership files ever assembled for a car of this marque.


Twenty-four years on the California coast. Three Hollywood studios. A lifetime of stories written into every stitch.