1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 Sc Cabriolet

From the outset of the 300 SL project, Mercedes- Benz engineers were required to utilize the 300 S engine. To extract more power from the straight six, mechanical fuel injection was developed and, once proven, retrofitted into the 300 S line. In 1955, Mercedes-Benz created 200 very special 300 Sc cars, rated at 175 hp and riding on a 114” wheelbase chassis with four-wheel independent suspension. The 300 Sc was bodied by the craftsmen at the Sindelfingen coachworks in the finest old-world style, with intricate hand-formed and fitted panels, copious use of chrome, wood interior trim, about luxurious leather upholstery. Additionally, and half of the 200 cars received folding canvas tops.

Even though the Sc weighed nearly 4,000 lbs., it was capable of 112 mph, a speed that put it in the same performance league as many of the most expensive, low-production gran turismos – all while enveloping occupants in serene luxury. Resplendent with the grandeur of the company’s finest prewar offerings, including its insulated convertible top and landau irons, the 300 Sc Cabriolet is both the most luxurious and rarest of the series. Only 49 of these refined cars were built over the short production run.

According to a copy of its factory build record, this 300 Sc Cabriolet was built for the 1956 model year, delivered in Düsseldorf, and retains its original engine. Upon its import to the US, this rare Cabriolet was based on the East Coast for several decades, and notes in the car’s extensive history file record its first stateside owner as Lawence Elliman of New York. Elliman, a Princeton graduate and noted international banker, subsequently sold the Cabriolet to Maine resident, avid collector, and rally participant Louis Hilton in 1974. The next owner of the 300 Sc, clothing manufacturer Robert Rosenau, who acquired it in 1984, retained Stone Barn Inc. of Vienna, New Jersey, to perform a sympathetic, body-on cosmetic and mechanical restoration. During the work, which spanned 1985 and 1986, Stone Barn refinished the car in perhaps the most classic color combination for a 300 Sc, a version of the seldom-seen Mercedes-Benz color Mittelrot (Medium Red, DB 516), accented by a tan leather interior with matching wool carpets and a canvas top. Mr. Rosenau enjoyed the car after the restoration for the next 12 years before selling it to a Texas-based collector, in whose care it would remain until just recently, alongside both a Rudge-wheel 300 SL Gullwing and a disc-brake, alloy-block Roadster. The car was enjoyed by the owners and their friends for many years on the Monterey Peninsula during the Monterey Car Week festivities and has been maintained in recent years by the noted Mercedes-Benz experts Rene Luteraan and Eriksson Enterprises.

The 300 Sc Cabriolet is accompanied by its tool kit, jack, top boot, and folio of manuals. A rare pair of original Karl Baisch fitted suitcases nestles nicely between the twin rear spares. Its radio is a rarely seen Becker Nürburg multi-band unit, receiving longwave, shortwave, and AM signals.

From its detailed engine compartment and finely crafted interior to its lustrous paintwork and brilliant chrome trim, this 300 Sc exhibits the character and presence of a meticulously executed restoration that has been carefully maintained and sparingly enjoyed in the years since. Among the rarest variants of the celebrated 300 series, this exceptional 300 Sc represents a compelling opportunity for the discerning collector and would be a welcome addition to any world-class collection of truly hand-built automobiles.