Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing and 300SL Roadster Leads Drophead Mercedes-Benz Classics

AT THE BONHAMS ZOUTE GRAND PRIX SALE

ZOUTE, BELGIUM – September 25, 2026 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Bonhams has confirmed a further selection of cars to be offered at its forthcoming Zoute Sale at the Zoute Grand Prix in Knokke Heist on 11 October 2026. These are in addition to the previously announced Keller Brothers Collection – a highly-curated set of beautiful 1960s to 2000s predominately Italian classic and sports cars being offered by a private Swiss collector, all at no reserve.

Leading the Bonhams Zoute Sale is a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL ‘Gullwing’ Coupé with an estimate of €1,300,000 – €1,500,000.

The origins of the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing date back to 1952’s Mille Miglia where Mercedes-Benz fielded two of its new 300 SL sports cars, finishing a creditable 2nd and 4th overall. For the Le Mans 24-Hour Race in June of the same year, a trio of ‘gullwing’-doored coupés was entered, with Karl Kling and Hans Klenk bringing their ‘Silver Arrow’ home in 1st place.

The production Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing road car retained the spaceframe chassis and lightweight aluminium-alloy bodywork of the racer. Its mechanical underpinnings was based on a 2,996cc overhead-camshaft inline six-cylinder engine, producing 215bhp at 5,800rpm using Bosch mechanical fuel injection – the first time such an induction system had been used on a production car.

By the time the 300 SL Gullwing Coupé production ceased in 1957, some 1,400 examples had found customers.

According to the extensive history file with the car, this Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Coupé, chassis no. 198.040-55-00514, was delivered new to Spain in 1955 – one of only three Gullwings exported new to the country. It was subsequently exported to Venezuela in the 1970s and then moved to the USA, where a comprehensive restoration was carried out during the 1980s.

During that restoration, the car was fitted with a 1957-model engine and gearbox, and its present colour scheme of solid grey with red leather upholstery was applied. In the 1990s, the car returned to Europe. The current Luxemburg-based collector has owned the car since 2023, and they also commissioned another comprehensive, documented restoration, including extensive work to the body.

A 1961 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster with an estimate of €1,150,000 – €1,450,000 will also feature at the Bonhams Zoute Sale.

The 300 SL Roadster was first exhibited at the Geneva Salon in May 1957 and was an immediate hit with the 1950s ‘Jet Set’ of royalty, actors and socialites. This stunning 300 SL Roadster, chassis no. 198.042-10-002873, was completed on 26th July 1961 and delivered new in Germany, where it is currently registered. The original colour was white (colour code 050) with tan leather interior (colour code 040), as it presents today. Further options included a radio (code 511), automatic aerial (531), whitewall tyres (641), sport seats (401), among others. Most importantly, being a 1961 model, it has the desirable specification of factory-fitted disc brakes.

The car has been subjected to a meticulous frame-off restoration by the highly respected German 300 SL specialist Lars Rombelsheim of LARO Sportwagen, with the expert reports issued by an official German appraiser in 2012 and 2017 rating the car as condition ‘1’, the highest in a range from 1 – 6. The current custodian purchased the previously restored car in 2017, making it effectively a three-owner car from new.

Also offered at the Zoute Sale is a 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Roadster, with an estimate of €350,000 – €400,000. More expensive than the 300 SL sports car and almost double the price of the contemporary top-of-the-range Cadillac, the Mercedes Benz 300 S was one of the world’s most exclusive automobiles of its day.

Introduced at the Paris Salon in October 1951, this Mercedes Benz 300 S Roadster, chassis no. 188012 00071/53, is one of only 141 produced was delivered new on 2^nd April 1953 to the United States. It was finished in Cream (DB 629) and upholstered in red-brown leather.

Between 2003 and 2010, the car was restored for the Samsung Car Collection at a cost of more than €415,000. It was subsequently purchased by the current owner in 2017. Used sparingly since the restoration, the car presents beautifully with striking attention to detail and factory correctness, and the Datenkarte confirms that it has matching engine and chassis numbers.

A cherished 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5 Cabriolet will also be offered at the Zoute Sale, with an estimate of €250,000 – €320,000.

The example offered, was ordered by the Mercedes-Benz factory on 24th April 1970. Chassis no. 111027-12-001128 is one of only 1,232 examples produced and was built towards the end of production. The car was ordered in white (DB050) with red (243) leather, black mohair convertible top, central shift automatic transmission, and with the factory options of a rear fog light, locking glove compartment, ivory coloured steering wheel, front and side heat-absorbing glass windows and combined European tail lights. Later additions include Behr air conditioning, seat belts, and a passenger-side door mirror.

In 1993, the car was purchased by the current owner and registered in Paris. It was latterly imported and registered in the UK. During 2017, a sympathetic restoration was carried out retaining all the car’s original colours and features, at the same time as a hydraulic power cabriolet roof conversion was installed.

Bringing the Mercedes-Benz Gullwings up to date is a 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Coupé with an estimate of €280,000 – €320,000. Delivered new in Belgium and finished in Obsidian Black metallic with black/anthracite leather interior, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG benefits from a single ownership, displays circa 44,500 kilometres from new, and comes with a full Mercedes-Benz service history.

Also being sold at the Zoute Grand Prix is a 1979 BMW M1 Coupé with an estimate of €450,000 – €550,000.

Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro’s Ital Design, the BMW M1 was conceived in parallel as a road and race car. First shown at the Paris Motor Show in 1978, the road-going version was fitted with BMW’s 3.5-litre inline six-cylinder, overhead-cam, four-valves-per-cylinder, engine developing 273bhp and driving the rear wheels via a ZF five-speed transaxle. This powered the car from 0-60mph in 5.5 seconds and onto a claimed top speed of 161mph (260km/h).

Only ever intended as a limited-edition model, out of the 453 production cars completed, 399 were road going units while the remainder were made for motor sport. Its Group 4 potential was never realised but the BMW M1 did race in the one-make Procar BMW M1 Championship series run at Formula 1 Grand Prix races in 1979 and ’80, with Nicki Lauda winning the championship in 1979 and Nelson Piquet in 1980. A new BMW M1 road car was awarded to each winner.

Chassis no. WBS59910004301146 was delivered new in Germany in 1979 and finished in red with contrasting black leather upholstery and fabric interior. Currently registered in France, it’s been in the same ownership since 2010 with maintenance invoices available from that period totalling approximately €50,000. At 24,468 kilometres, the engine was comprehensively restored, with the odometer currently reading 30,615 kilometres.

The Bonhams Zoute Sale will also feature the previously announced Keller Brothers Collection, all being sold without reserve. The headline car of the collection is a spectacular 1970 Lamborghini Miura P400S with an estimate of €1,600,000 – €2,000,000. Chassis no. 4578 is one of 114 late-specification ventilated-disc Lamborghini Miura P400S’ finished in Giallo Fly over its original Nero leather interior.

Another significant car in the collection is a 1989 Lamborghini Countach 25^th Anniversary. One of 657 cars built, the car was delivered new in Italy having been finished in Rosso Siviglia over Beige leather. Accompanied by the original owners’ handbooks, the car has played an important part in the Keller Collection since 2014.

The remainder of the Keller Brothers Collection being offered at the Zoute Sale at no reserve is a selection of fine 1970s Ferraris comprising a 1973 Ferrari 365 GTC/4 estimated at €120,000 to €150,000, a 1974 Ferrari Dino 246GT (€240,000 to €280,000), a 1977 Ferrari 512BB (€130,000 to €160,000) and two 1977 Ferrari 308GTBs (€55,000 to €65,000 and €65,000 to €75,000 respectively).

The collection also includes a 1966 Fiat Dino Spider 2000 (€70,000 to €80,000), a 1967 and a 1969 Maserati Ghibli 4.7 (€80,000 to €120,000 and €90,000 to €130,000 respectively) and two iterations of Porsche’s 911 – a 1992 Porsche 964 Carrera RS (€180,000 to €220,000) and a 2008 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup S (€60,000 to €80,000).  

Also being offered at the Zoute Sale, aside from the Keller Brothers Collection, is a genuine 1965 AC Cobra 289 being sold with an estimate of €700,000 – €900,000.

One of the 45 original AC Cobra 289s built as a COB-numbered leaf spring UK right-hand drive specification car, it was originally sold by AC Cars in Vineyard Green over Beige. It was subsequently converted to left hand drive and refinished in Red. Unlike many other AC Cobras, it has been cherished throughout its life and retains its original chassis, body and engine – none of which have ever been modified. It is also listed in both the ACOC and SAA Cobra Registries and its entire history from 1965 to the present day is known.

Confirming the significant cars to be offered at the Zoute Sale on 11 October, Michael Squire, Head of European Sales for Bonhams, said: “We initially launched The Zoute Sale with the Lamborghini Miura P400S, a Lamborghini Countach 25^th Anniversary and other cars from the Keller Brothers Collection, all at no reserve, alongside an original, authentic and unmolested AC Cobra 289. To add a beautiful Mercedes Benz 300SL Gullwing and Roadster and other elegant drophead Mercedez Benz icons, as well as a very rare BMW M1, confirms the quality and provenance of the cars that Bonhams offers. I look forward to welcoming our existing clients and new buyers to the Bonhams marquee in our new location in Zoute, close to the Casino, for what promises to be a standout sale of our European season.”

Details of all cars offered can be found at https://cars.bonhams.com/auction/32045/the-zoute-sale/

Sale: The Zoute Sale
Location: Zoute Grand Prix, Knokke Heist, Belgium
Date: 11 October

About Bonhams

Bonhams Car, Motorcycle and Automobilia departments uniquely offer a choice of live, online and private platforms for buying and selling collector cars—platforms characterised by levels of trust, reliability, and transparency born of over three decades of experience as the premier automotive auction house. Through prestigious live auctions around the world, 24/7 online auctions, and our recently introduced Private Sales service, Bonhams makes it simple for buyers and sellers to find the platform that best meets their needs.

Bonhams host 17 live car, motorcycle and automobilia auctions annually, participates in all the significant concours around the world, and presents unique selling opportunities at international events such as Goodwood Motorsport Events in the UK, RetroMobile in Paris, Laguna Seca on the Monterey Peninsula in California, and The Zoute Grand Prix in Belgium. With dedicated motoring departments in London, Paris, Los Angeles, New York, Brussels and beyond, Bonhams has a world-class team with expertise in all divisions, from vintage cars to racing motorsport and automobilia to motorcycles.

For more information, please visit: https://www.cars.bonhams.com

NOTES FOR EDITORS

About Bonhams

Founded in 1793, Bonhams is one of the world’s leading auction houses — defined by connection, and home to the curious.

With over 230 years of expertise, Bonhams operates a global network of trusted specialists across 24 countries, including flagship salerooms in London, New York, Paris and Hong Kong. Across more than 60 specialist categories, Bonhams serves collectors of every kind – from emerging to established — with the objects, stories and expertise that define their collecting journey.

Beyond auctions, Bonhams is both a destination for discovery and for industry-leading services and support. Its rotating programme of exhibitions and public programming is free and open to all, reflecting a longstanding commitment to curiosity, cultural conversation and the enduring power of objects.

For forthcoming auctions and details of specialist departments, visit Bonhams.com

Bonhams: A house built on knowledge. Defined by connection. Home to the curious.

Source: Bonhams

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