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I’ll never forget standing around some vintage supercar or another at a car meet when some tire kicker asked the owner the perennial tacky question, “How much is it worth?” A few of us looked at our feet and blushed. Someone tried to save the owner the trouble and offered, “It’s worth however much someone is willing to pay.” But the owner and consummate car collector just smiled and corrected them, “It’s worth however much two collectors are willing to pay for it.”

On that day, it hit me exactly how the market works. The collector wasn’t going to overpay for any car–no matter how noteworthy. But if he wanted to have it, he’d have to outbid the competition. I remembered this day when I saw a historic barn find will be crossing RM Sotheby’s auction block: A completely unrestored 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster.

The auction house is ballparking the shell of a car at $800,000-$1,000,000, but listing it without a reserve. So the internet is buzzing: Will this heap command a cool million dollars!?

The 300SL Roadster was the successor to the legendary Gullwing–truly the first supercar in history. Its refined frame did away with the “tub” that made those gullwing doors necessary, and thus made it much more livable. But with 25 more horsepower and lighter weight, and more modern suspension, it was also an improvement in every metric. It had an impressive racing history. So, at risk of being tacky, “How much is it worth?”

Cars.com reports the average sale of the 300SL Roadster–built from 1957-63, in the past five years, was $1.4 million. And the top sale was $3.1 million. And that’s close to Gullwing prices. But that’s not the number you should be concerned with.

Side of a 1957 Mercedes-Benz roadster, unrestored, parked in a barn.
1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL | Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

First and foremost, the lowest sale was still a whopping $758,500. So a 300SL Roadster in need of restoration doesn’t scare collectors. Nor should it. Think about it: if you spend $1 million on a car that will be worth $1.4 after restoration, you can cut a $400,000 check to get it redone and still break even.

But here’s the key number. In the past five years, only 87 of these beauties have come up for sale. In fact, Sotheby’s Chassis Number 198.042.7500173 is one of just 554 built during that first year of production. These things don’t pop up often, so interested buyers probably won’t be waiting to see if one that’s already been restored is available soon.

So will it go for $1 million? If two collectors agree it’s worth it, one of them will pay up.

One intriguing fact about the 300SL Roadster is that its nameplate–the Mercedes-Benz SL Roadster–has been built continuously since 1957. Not many vehicles on the planet can claim that kind of history.

Interested in a more recent–and much less expensive–Mercedes SL? Use MotorBiscuit’s car buying tool to see used Mercedes SL’s for sale. Or if you don’t want to bother with anything like a restoration, you can even configure a new Mercedes SL.

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Staff Writer

Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.