Most expensive road car ever auctioned

[Art Anderson]

Depends on what car you're following. About 7 years ago, I started tracking the prices of the 1954-57 Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing and roadster. They have steadily climbed from about $450,000 to nearly a million in that time, most of them kept in good condition, if not concours.

And, to think that back in 1974, I happened on to a 300SL Gullwing that was solid as a rock, just needed an engine rebuild--for the then-to-me-unattainable price of $3,200! In addition to not having the money on hand, and unwilling to pay an astronomical interest rate (around here back then, if one wanted to finance a car that old in those days meant going to see "Friendly Bob Adams at Household Finance"--banks just didn't lend on that sort of thing unless you had a very nice financial statement. The second problem was what I saw as a very expensive, if not astronomical engine rebuild (Daimler Benz could have taken care of that for me with their legendary Centennial offer just a couple of years later!), so I passed on it.

What a cool ride that would be today though!

Art

[sjordan2]

The years I gave for the 300 SL were only for the Gullwing. The Roadster was built 1957-62 and I should have said that.