Le Mans Classic 300SL Roadster sets new auction record… A Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster W198II set a new auction record for the model at the biannual Artcurial Le Mans Classic auction last month.
The car was the property of the late Swedish dental surgeon Gunnar Giermark and was one of two SLs in his collection. Giermark died with no heir, and his cars were consigned by the Swedish government to raise money for children’s educational charities.
The 1963 SL drop top was in ‘as new’ condition, having covered just 1,372km from new. It had spent the last 46 years parked up in Giermark’s garage as an ornament, alongside his 300SL Gullwing, which was a regular form of transport for the eccentric dentist.
Auctioned without reserve, the car came with an unused hardtop and had an estimate of 1.5 million euros, but the hammer price more than doubled this, finishing at 3,710,000 euros ($3.9m).
Meanwhile, Giermark’s 1956 Gullwing, which was covered in scuffs and dents thanks to its regular use, sold for just shy of $1m euros ($1,286,000).
The final Mercedes in the sale was a 2014 SL63 AMG World Championship Edition, Number 19 of 19 made to mark 19 GP wins that season, with 30km on the clock. It sold for 249,400 euros ($290,000).
