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The Car Museum has added a genuinely special car to its lineup: a 1960 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster that comes with both stunning presentation and a story to match. Known affectionately as "Pinky," this Roadster is one of just 249 built during the model's final year of production, and it stands out as one of the more complete and compelling examples on the market today.
The car's history reads like a road trip across decades. Originally delivered new in Stuttgart, Germany, it was purchased by a United States Air Force captain who brought it home to Arizona, kicking off its life on American soil. In 1977, ownership passed to a well-known 300SL specialist and member of the Gull Wing Group, whose friends affectionately called him "Pinky." He kept the car for nearly forty years, and in that time it became a familiar and respected fixture within the international 300SL community, eventually taking on his nickname as its own.
After passing through a handful of subsequent caretakers, the Roadster underwent a comprehensive restoration at the hands of Coachwerks in Victoria, British Columbia, a shop with a strong reputation for its work on historic European automobiles. The result is a car finished in a handsome Anthracite Grey Metallic over a natural leather interior, a combination that suits the 300SL's elegant lines while staying true to its original character.
Mechanically, this 300SL carries all the hallmarks that made the model a technical marvel in its day. Its 3.0-liter M198 inline-six uses Bosch mechanical direct fuel injection, dry-sump lubrication, and an aluminum cylinder head, engineering pulled straight from Mercedes-Benz's competition programs. Power reaches the road through a four-speed manual transmission and an independent rear suspension with a single-pivot axle and compensator spring, a setup that gave the Roadster noticeably better manners than the Gullwing coupe that preceded it.
The sale includes an equally impressive set of accessories: the factory hardtop, a period-correct luggage set, a rare prototype ski-luggage rack built specifically for the 300SL, original tools, and factory literature. Listed at $1,950,000, "Pinky" is more than a beautifully restored sports car. It's a well-documented piece of Mercedes-Benz history, and a genuine treat for any collector who wants a 300SL with a story as good as its looks. See it .
