Mercedes-Benz Museum - Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupé

The famous 300 SL model designation is the main theme of Mercedes-Benz Classic at the Rétromobile show in Paris.

One highlight of the trade show (31 January to 4 February 2024) is the rarely shown 300 SL racing prototype (W 194/11) from the company’s vehicle collection.

The engineers dubbed this one-off “Hobel” (German for “carpenter's plane”) because of its angular front.

They developed the vehicle for the 1953 motorsport season on the basis of the 300 SL motor-racing car, which had been extremely successful in the 1952 season.

However, the “Hobel” was never used because Mercedes-Benz focussed on entering Formula One from 1954.

The Rétromobile show has an excellent reputation among collectors as one of the leading sales events of the year.

Mercedes-Benz Classic is offering selected vehicles for sale on this exclusive platform: three Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadsters (W 198) are on offer in Paris.

The super-sportscar is the open-top version and successor to the 300 SL Coupé with its iconic gullwing doors, which was launched in 1954.

From 1957 to 1963, the Sindelfingen plant only produced 1,858 examples of the Roadster.

Two of the vehicles for sale have been restored to the highest standards of authenticity by the experts at the Mercedes-Benz Classic Centre.

The third Roadster impresses with its unrestored condition and completely original technology.

It is a future restoration project.