Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster leads Bonhams|Cars Audrain Concours Auction

The 300SL was delivered new to the US before being added to Peter Mullins's car collection in 1991. The car was initially finished in Hellblau with blue leather before getting a new German Racing Silver paint job prior to it joining the Mullin Collection. Although the paint isn't original, the car's paintwork, leather and engine compartment are said to have an "honest" patina, and the car boasts matching engine and chassis numbers.

The SL was only ever built because of Max Hoffman, a US-based Mercedes importer alert to the saleability of a 300SL Gullwing for the road, living off the substantial success of the racing cars. A convertible model soon followed, losing the hard metal roof but, sadly, also the iconic doors. Just 1,858 were ever built. 

Other highlights from the Bonhams|Cars Audrain Concours Auction Concours Auction include a 1959 Fiat-OSCA 1500 Aerodynamica Berlinetta (£300,000 – £380,000 estimate) and a 1989 Porsche 911 'Type 930' Turbo Cabriolet 'Flachbau' flat nose (£260,000 – £320,000).