A VINTAGE Mercedes which took 3,500 hours to restore has gone up for sale at an eye-watering price.
The 1957 300 SL Roadster had to be stripped down to its shell as part of an intensive five-month process to return it to its former glory.
Jam Press/Amy Shore Courtesy ofThis gorgeous classic Mercedes is going up for sale[/caption]
Jam Press/Amy Shore Courtesy ofThe 300 SL Roadster was a celebrity favourite, with similar models owned by Clark Gable and Sophia Loren[/caption]
The model was beloved by famous faces, with legendary actors Clark Gable and Sophia Loren among the roster of celebrity owners.
On this specific car, little is known about the first three decades of its life but it has changed hands only four times since the 1980s.
The restoration was undertaken in 2016 to return it to “as new” condition and remedy some “minor flaws”.
The work was carried out by restoration firm Hilton & Moss, based in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire.
This was based on photographs of the stunning sports car taken in 1994.
It was registered in the US but spent most of its life in Germany before being sold to Nikkolas Benopoulos, a classic car collector, and shipped to Greece.
The car was then sold again to its current owner in 2013 and imported to the UK.
It is now set to be sold by RM Sotheby’s at a private auction in Cobham, Surrey.
The gorgeous roadster is expected to fetch around £1 million.
A spokesperson for the auctioneer said: “Shortly after the 300 SL’s arrival in the UK, the car was entrusted to respected restorer Hilton & Moss.
“No strangers to Mercedes-Benz products and 300 SLs, their inspection showed that although the 1993 restoration was carried out to a good standard, further investigations revealed improper damage repairs to the rear section of the car and other minor flaws.
“As a result, the car was stripped to bare metal and fully restored to return it to as-new condition.
“A restoration that would involve some 3,500 hours of labour. It was decided the car would be finished in the period-correct colour scheme of Anthracite Grey over a contrasting red leather interior, making for a more unusual and alluring colour combination.
“On the road, the 300 SL Roadster performs impeccably, with linear acceleration, smooth gear changes, and a dialled-in engine that simply purrs.”
It comes after a, perhaps, slightly less glamorous collection of Del Boy-style Reliant Robins went up for sale last month.
Meanwhile, an urban explorer shared his discovery of an abandoned car graveyard filled with former British military vehicles.
Jam Press/Amy Shore Courtesy ofThe stunning classic was intensively restored across 3,500 hours in 2016[/caption]
Jam Press/RM Sotheby’sThis involved stripping it down to its shell[/caption]
Jam Press/Amy Shore Courtesy ofFortunately, it has now returned to ‘as new’ condition[/caption]
Jam Press/Amy Shore Courtesy ofIt will be sold by RM Sotheby’s at a private auction in Cobham, Surrey and is expected to fetch £1 million[/caption]