Lot details
• The 51st 300 SL Roadster built
• Racing history with its first owner, Gunther Philipp
• Improvements made in period by factory; Rudge centre-lock wheels
• High-quality restoration by one of the top specialists
• Exceptionally well-documented history
• No reserve
One of this car’s noteworthy features is that it was supplied new to a famous Austrian actor, Gunter Placheta, whose stage name was Gunther Philipp. An accomplished sportsman and swimming champion (he held the Austrian record for the 100m breast-stroke), he began by studying philosophy, psychology and medicine before opening a practice in Eberstazell. Passionate about the theatre, he created a cabaret troupe, ‘Die kleinen Vier’, with three friends in 1946, and in 1949 decided to give up his work as a doctor to devote himself entirely to acting. He appeared in several dozen films and popular series, from the 1950s to the 2000s.
But Gunther Philipp was a man of many passions, of which motorsport was also one. At the start of the 1950s, he set up a racing team named ‘Ecurie Vienne’ and even won the Austrian GT Championship in the 1960s. Then, after hanging up his helmet, he presented the programme Motorama on the ORF TV channel, together with Jochen Rindt.
It was with this background as an enthusiast that he acquired this Mercedes 300 SL roadster, which was delivered to him on 25 July 1957 with 3,735km recorded; it was registered in Berlin through Herbert Schulze Automobile, with the number B-PP 99. According to the information provided by Éric Lemoine, a recognized specialist in the model, several letters Philipp exchanged with the factory show that numerous improvements were made to the car, at the request of its particularly well-informed and demanding owner. A letter dated 14 August sent to Mercedes Munich, for example, mentions in very direct terms several faults which Philipp wanted to be put right as quickly as possible. He deplored a lack of power from the engine and suspected that the final drive ratio was not the one he had ordered. He also noted that “The brakes are dangerous on wet surfaces” and that “The clutch is juddering and has too short a pedal travel”. He complained moreover that “The body vibrates too much, especially around the doors” and that “The cracks around the boot must be repaired and repainted, which will require the car to be completely resprayed”. Lastly, he ordered a set of Rudge centre-lock wheels.
His letters did not go unheeded: improvements were made to the braking system and a letter from Mercedes Munich dated 6 September 1957 confirmed that a set of Rudge chrome wheels (four plus a spare) had been fitted. As Mercedes had no use for the original wheels, they were returned to Philipp. In addition, a letter attests to the likely replacement of the original engine, no doubt in August 1957, which may explain why the number of the engine fitted to the car has been restamped. In a work order dated 21 August 1957, Philipp enquired about the cost of sports camshafts, but it is not clear whether these were finally fitted.
On 11 May 1959, the car was repainted in white (code DB 50): at the time, it had 40,345km on the clock and still had its Berlin registration. A little later, a shorter final drive ratio (3.64:1) was fitted, in preparation for a race to be held on 30 September 1959.
Between his acting commitments, Philipp competed in various regional events, as can be seen from several photos in the documentation with the car, taken at the following races:
- 23-24 May 1959 - Internationale Semperit-Rallye (result unknown);
- 4 October 1959 - Internationales Autorennen Innsbruck (DNF);
- 12 June 1960 - Internationales Autorennen Flugplatz Linz - fifth overall and winner of the over-1600cc GT class;
- 25 September 1960 - Internationales Flugplatzrennen Klagenfurt (result unknown).
In September 1960, Philipp adopted the pseudonym ‘Constantine’ when he entered his 300 SL roadster at the Gaisberg hill climb, an event which counted towards the European Hill Climb Championship. Four years later, in 1964, he took part in the same event once again, but under his real name Placheta and at the wheel of a Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB.
The actor and amateur racer parted with his 300 SL at the beginning of the 1960s, after it had been put to good use. Until 1962 it was registered in the name of Herbert Schulze Automobile in Berlin, before being exported to the United States, where it passed through the hands of several owners: Charles A. Merrill in June 1962 (original bill of sale on file), Otto Semet (Beaverton, Oregon) in 1965, James E. Matuska (Seattle, Washington) in March 1966 (original bill of sale on file), James L. Hargiss (Seattle, Washington) bought the car in 1966 (original bill of sale on file). He kept the car for over 40 years! Mr Hargiss, who is particularly meticulous, kept a file of all the work done on the car over the years. He even drew some of the technical details. Exceptionally, we have all of Mr Hargiss's invoices from 1966 onwards. In the 1990s the car was painted red with black leather interior and registered as 300SLRO. In 2009, it was sold to a Californian owner, before joining Staffan Wittmark’s collection in Sweden, in 2012. Wittmark wanted to have one of the first examples of this legendary car to leave the factory, as was the case for this one: it was in fact the 51st Mercedes 300 SL roadster built, including the five prototypes from 1956 and the three pre-production cars. To complete his collection, he also bought one of the final examples of the roadster, thus enabling him to appreciate both ends of the period during which this fabulous car was in production.
As one of our Swedish client's favourite colours for 1950s cars is grey, he had the 300 SL roadster restored in this colour; he first sent the car to Jürgen Klockemann in California, a 300SL specialist, and when the car returned to Europe it was sent to Kienle for corrections to the soft top and interior.
Since then it has been to HK Engineering twice for technical service and most recently for a complete engine overhaul.
Today, the car is absolutely magnificent, with its immaculate grey bodywork and utterly beautiful beige upholstery inside. With its ivory-coloured steering wheel, virtually new dashboard and controls, faultless carpets and superb seats, this car invites you to set off on a trip, especially as its boot houses a special set of luggage in the same colour as the upholstery.
While nearly 400 Mercedes 300 SL coupés were equipped with Rudge wheels, they are much rarer on the roadster. It is estimated that between 19 and 25 roadsters were equipped with them from the factory from 1957-1958, and they were fitted to this example by the factory only a few months after it came off the line.
Ultimately, this Mercedes 300 SL roadster is exceptional in many ways: it is one of the very first cars built; it belonged to an enthusiastic and well-known amateur racing driver, who had various improvements made to it, in order to compete in regional events; it has the rare and desirable Rudge wheels; it is presented in immaculate condition, with an exceptionally well-documented history and in a superb combination of colours. All these reasons cannot fail to capture the interest of the most demanding enthusiasts, who are looking to own a unique example of this great classic.
