Mercedes-Benz 300 SL

Bonhams Brings Baumberger Collection to Auction in Gstaad

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

Though lacking the gullwing doors that made it famous, the Roadster version of the classic Mercedes-Benz 300SL remains as sought-after by collectors as the winged coupe. And one particularly desirable example is set to cross the auction block next month in Gstaad, Switzerland.

One of only 209 examples made with the aluminum engine, this 1962 model was part of the collection of one Peter F. Baumberger, a noted gentleman racer, collector and enthusiast, founder of the Ferrari club in Switzerland. Baumberger passed away last year, and his collection of 19 automobiles will go to the highest bidder without reserve at the Bonhams event on August 20. Pre-sale estimates place the SL – the highlight of the collection – at around half a million.

Gallery: 1962 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster - Baumberger Collection

Tags: 1962 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster, Baumberger, bonhams, gstaad, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, sl, switzerland

Then and Now: Mercedes Gullwings at the Carrera Panamericana Mexico

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Porsche may use names like Targa, Carrera and even Panamera. But these labels – all derived from the dangerous world of sportscar road rallies – didn't always belong to them and them alone.

Among the most prominent of these bygone races was the Carrera Panamericana. The event was fielded in Mexico in the early 1950s before it was disbanded. Not before Mercedes pulled off a most impressive feat, however. In 1952, a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL won the event with a spectacular one-two finish. But along the way, the first car struck a condor, damaging the car and its co-pilot. The mechanics fitted the windshield with steel bars to prevent any further damage, and those bars remain on the car today.

That very same vehicle has now left the Mercedes-Benz racing museum in Stuttgart and returned, alongside its modern-day successor, the new SLS AMG, to participate in the Carrera Panamericana Mexico revival.

Gallery: Mercedes Gullwings at the Carrera Panamericana Mexico