1960 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

SAM CHARLWOOD

Photographs Tony Sheffield

WHEN IT WAS NEW Price: $US10,950 | Engine: M198 3.0-litre straight-six petrol | 0-100km/h: 9.4 seconds | Top speed: 250km/h

HOLLYWOOD SUPERSTARS and the world’s elite helped popularise the coveted Mercedes-Benz 300 SL. However, it’s hard to think of a more fitting owner for this immaculate 1960 300 SL Roadster than Highlands resident Karin Johnston.

Growing up in Stuttgart, Germany – coincidentally, the home of Mercedes-Benz and the 300 SL’s production base – Karin fondly remembers the aura and mystique around the world’s fastest production car. Her fascination as a young girl materialised into a 300 SL diecast model collection which today stands at more than 400 examples.

“This was the supercar of the day,” says Karin. “Only a handful of people could afford one: Clark Gable, Sophia Loren – all these famous people and film stars owned a 300 SL.”Following in the tracks of the 300 SL Gullwing released in 1954, the 300 SL Roadster appeared in prototype form in 1955. When the drop-top was formally revealed at the 1957 Geneva Motor Show, it received an overwhelmingly positive reception. Production began later that year.

The 300 SL or ‘Super-Light’ traces its lineage back to the Mercedes-Benz W194 racing car. It is renowned for technical innovations including mechanical direct fuel injection, dry sump lubrication and a space frame design, which includes room for conventional doors on the convertible.

Just 1400 Gullwing coupes were built between 1954 and 1957, and 1858 Roadsters were manufactured from 1957 to 1963.

The 179kW 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine – codenamed M198 – delivered superlative figures for the time, coupled by a single-disc dry clutch to a four-speed manual transmission.

This particular Papyrus White Roadster, delivered new to Erich Spitzner of Berlin on December 27, 1960, boasts blue leather trim with a Marine Blue soft top. It also features the rare optional factory-painted hard-top roof, as well as polished aluminium wheels, original jack and toolkit, and Becker Mexico radio booklet. Naturally, it is still left-hand drive.

Under Spitzner’s 39-year ownership, the SL amassed only 30,449km and spent 14 years in dry storage. Other owners include the Bosch family of Stuttgart and Sydney Mercedes-Benz dealer Greg Sanderson, who imported the vehicle in 2005.

In 2017, Karin and her husband Rory Johnston realised a lifelong dream, purchasing the 300 SL Roadster from Sanderson, a close friend. They are the fifth owners and have added about 11,000km to its odometer, which today stands at 68,000km.

The Johnstons met in Noosa while Karin was visiting from Germany in 2002 and have motorsport in their veins. They married at British motorsport circuit Brooklands before moving to Australia in 2003, where they founded North Sydney classic car institution Classic Throttle Shop, which they still own.

Karin and Rory marvel over the finest details of the pristine Roadster, such as the original chalk scribblings from the factory under the seat bases, and the Berlin Bear city crest adorning its tailgate – a remnant from its original owner.

The car’s long proportions are timeless, the engine bay gleams, and the largely untouched paintwork and chrome details are first-rate. The blue interior glistens with articulate switchgear and tasteful white appointments, including the gearknob, steering wheel and a horizontal strip that stretches the width of the dashboard.

“The thing is, it’s actually amazing to drive,” says Rory. “It loves the open road. It’s beautiful, it’s right on cam and it’s compliant. When you put your foot down at highway speed, it just takes off. The induction sound is amazing. It’s a big straight-six with direct fuel injection, and it goes.”

A wry smile emerges as Rory continues: “But ultimately, it’s Karin’s car.”

Today, a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster is considered the Holy Grail of classic cars, with an estimated value approaching $2.5 million. Sixty years after production, it remains a vehicle limited to a privileged few. For Karin, it is the exclamation mark on a lifelong SL obsession.