1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SC Cabriolet A

This 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SC Cabriolet A with coachwork by Daimler Benz of Sindelfingen was offered for sale at the 2007 Christies auction of 'Exceptional Motor Cars at the Monterey Jet Center.' It is finished in Ivory with chocolate leather interior and chocolate soft top. There is a six-cylinder overhead camshaft engine capable of producing 175 horsepower. There is a four-speed manual column change gearbox and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes with servo.

The 300S model was first shown tot he public at the Paris Salon in 1951. When production began, they were offered in three different body styles including the Coupe, Roadster and Cabriolet. They were hand built, meaning they were expensive and out of the reach of most consumers. At $14,000, they were lavishly appointed and well outfitted. The Cabriolet had a convertible top that was fully padded. The luggage was custom made and placed in-between the two spare wheels in the boot.

The SC bodystyle became available in 1955 and were given Bosch fuel injection system that helped the six-cylinder engine produce 175 horsepower. There were only 200 examples of the SC produced with 98 Coupes, 49 Cabriolet and 53 Roadsters.

This example was estimated to sell for $350,000 - $450,000. It has been treated to a complete restoration since new and lightly used since that time. The rebuilt engine has traveled just 400 miles and is still in excellent condition. At auction, the car was sold for $352,000 including buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2014