| 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300Sl Roadster |
| 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 1,858 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 7500348 300SL 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, l |
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