Mercedes Market Watch

Gooding and Company Pebble Beach 2018 – Mercedes Collector Car Preview and Price Predictions

Gooding and Company Pebble Beach 2018 – Mercedes Collector Car Preview and Price Predictions

Mercedes Collector Car Preview and Price Predictions: Gooding and Company Pebble Beach 2018

Once again Gooding and Company is the ‘official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance’ and looking over this year’s catalog, there are some very nice cars, from a wide variety of manufacturers crossing the block. As usual, Porsche is well represented with modern cars as well as classic models and race cars, a handful from the WeatherTech racing stable included. Exotic Ferraris are sprinkled throughout the auction, including Reggie Jackson’s 250 GT Lusso. There are 11 cars representing the three pointed star. Models spanning 70 years years of Mercedes’ history will all be on display during the preview days, Wednesday and Thursday, August 22 – 23, and for sale, as the auction gets underway on Friday, August 24 and Saturday, August 25, 2018 at the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center.

Each Mercedes being offered is listed below with pertinent information and our sale price predictions, which include the 10% buyer’s premium that’s added to the hammer price of each lot. Complete auction location details including exact location, days and hours are at the bottom of this article.

Visit Gooding and Company’s complete online auction catalog by clicking this link. If you can’t make it to the sale itself, you can always watch online, live, as Gooding and Company offers free online viewing of all of their auctions on sale day.

Lot 009 – 1961 Mercedes-Benz 220 SEb Coupe

Lot-009-Gooding-and-Company-Auctions-Pebble-Beach-2018-Mercedes-220SEb

Estimate: $90,000 – $120,000
Without Reserve
Chassis: 111.021.10.020628

  • White w/ red leather
  • Manual Transmission
  • Restored between 1980 – 1983
  • Extensive mechanical work at the MB classic center 2008
  • Behr A/C installed 2010
  • Sold at Gooding and Co.’s 2013 Pebble Beach sale for $79,750

I know the owner of this car, an avid Mercedes-Benz enthusiast and collector, who likes white cars with red interior (his Pagoda SL and 300 SL both share this color combination). I was with him, at the Gooding and Co. sale, back in 2013 when he acquired the car. Before the sale we looked over the car together, very closely. The auction estimate back then was $65,000 – $85,000, he bought it mid-estimate at $79,750. I remember thinking that was a lot of money for a 220 Coupe at the time, but it is an exceptional example. Prices have gone up since then, and you sure couldn’t restore one for the low estimate this time around, but it’s still a 220. I’ve been surprised at W111 220 SE convertible prices lately, they just don’t seem to be bringing a lot of money, as a result, I think this coupe will land below $100k at a sale price of $99,000.

 

Lot 032 – 1958 300 d “Adenauer”

Lot-032-Gooding-and-Company-Auctions-Pebble-Beach-2018-Mercedes-300d-AdenauerEstimate: $75,000 – $100,000
Without Reserve
Chassis: 189.010-8500261
Engine: 189.980-8500892
  • Medium Red (516) w/ beige leather
  • Automatic Transmission and Power Steering
  • Fuel-Injected Model
  • Books and Tools
  • Extensive Documentation including original owner paperwork
  • Acquired by the Brumos Collection in the 1990s.
  • Shown at the inaugural Amelia Island Concours in 1996

This car was withdrawn from Gooding and Company’s Amelia Island sale earlier this year. I’m going to go ahead and just cut and paste what I wrote about it back then in my Gooding and Co. Ameila Island Auction Preview article from earlier this year:  It’s really tough to try to predict the sale price of this car without being able to see it in person, without getting on the ground and looking underneath. In the Brumos Collection since the 1990s, I’m going to assume that it hasn’t seen much regular use over the past 25 years. These cars are insanely expensive to fix if maintenance has been deferred (or even if it hasn’t!). They’re as expensive to work on and buy parts for as a 300 SL, and you have to take them to the same expert shops to have them fixed, yet they’re worth 10% as much as a 300 SL. That’s why so many Adenauers have been neglected over the years, so often, their owners can’t afford to keep them at the level at which they deserve to be kept. The engine bay of this car appears very clean, the interior looks to be an older replacement and the paint looks nice in digital photos (doesn’t it always). Still, it’s very difficult to reach even $75,000 with one of these cars. Sale price prediction: $71,000.

Lot 046 – 2017 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT3

Lot-046-Gooding-and-Company-Auctions-Pebble-Beach-2018-2017-Mercedes-Benz-AMG-GT3-WeathertechEstimate: $450,000 – $550,000
Chassis: 190-16.077
  • IMSA GTD Class competitor 2017 season
  • Still Eligible for IMSA GTD Class
  • A full on race car, sold on a Bill of Sale
This is about as new a race car as you ever find at auction, as this particular model is still being raced by several teams in the IMSA Weathertech Series this year. Cooper MacNeil, of the WeatherTech floor mat MacNeils, co drove this car with Gunnar Jeannette for the first half of the 2017 IMSA Weathertech season with mediocre results. They abandoned this Mercedes AMG GT3 midway through the season and raced a Porsche 911 for the rest of the 2017 season. They’ve come back to the WeatherTech series in 2018 with yet another car, a Ferrari this time, trying to find the right machine for their race efforts. This is a very specialized car, and nothing you could ever drive on the street. While there is real support for these cars, you’ll pay for it. It would be an expensive car to run as a casual ‘not-so-vintage’ vintage racer, but it could be done. I’m just not sure this car will find a buyer in the collector market and I don’t think a high end collector car auction is the best place to sell it. I don’t think it will meet its reserve, whatever it may be. I think bidding will stall at about $380,000.

Lot 061 – 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing

Lot-061-Gooding-and-Company-Auctions-Pebble-Beach-2018-Mercedes-300SL-GullwingEstimate: $1,100,000 – $1,300,000
Without Reserve
Chassis: 198.040.6500143
Engine: 198.980.6500154
  • Red w/ original red leather interior (exterior originally white – 040)
  • Matching numbers
  • Original Baisch luggage
  • 60 year Single-Family Ownership in So. California
  • Manuals, tools
An unrestored car with known ownership that’s been out of the public eye and off the road for 10+ years, this car has an interesting story and a great look. Southern California history and a couple of interesting owners make for the kind of story a new Gullwing owner likes to tell on the concours circuit after they have their new acquisition fully restored. Despite the fact that it received a red paint job, sometime in the 1960s, I think this car has the potential the bring solid money. Sale price prediction: $1,210,000.

Lot 063 – 2014 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series

Lot-063-Gooding-and-Company-Auctions-Pebble-Beach-2018-Mercedes-SLS-AMG-Black-SeriesEstimate: $450,000 – $550,000
Chassis: WDDR17HA4EA011147
  • Solarbeam Yellow w/ black leather / Alcantara
  • 576 Original miles
  • Carbon Ceramic Brakes
More horsepower and carbon fiber than a standard SLS AMG, lighter weight. For all practical purposes, a race car for the street and the most exclusive version on the SLS AMG. When I think of the SLS Black Series, this Solarbeam Yellow is the color I think of. It was used in various marketing photos when they were introduced. For a lot of reasons, they aren’t the most practical or easy to live with SLS cars, but they are probably destined to be the most collectible. I think there are more of these than people realize quietly hibernating, with less than a thousand miles on their odometers, in private collections that will slowly emerge at auctions over the next 20 years.  There are several of these cars available on the market today, with just a couple thousand miles on their odometers in the high $400,000s. $500,000 would be a fair price for this one in at the Pebble Beach auction.

Lot 064 – 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 3.5 Coupe

Lot-064-Gooding-and-Company-Auctions-Pebble-Beach-2018-Mercedes-280SE-3.5-CoupeEstimate: $120,000 – $140,000
Without Reserve
Chassis: 111.026-12-002403
  • Tobacco Brown (423 H) w/ Cognac leather
  • New paint and interior ~2008
  • Floor shift, automatic transmission
  • Odometer: 28,292 (TMU, no claims made)
  • Aftermarket stereo
  • ‘Thorough service’ in 2015
W111 Coupes are gorgeous cars and the late, 3.5 V8 models are proving to be the most collectible. The catalog description says the early history of this car is unknown, but receipts date to California in the late 1970s. A new paint job in its correct Tobacco Brown and new interior puts this one somewhere between original and restored, a tough place to be in the market. Without really seeing this one, especially the engine bay, it’s tough to make a really educate price predictions, but when has that ever stopped us? Sale price in Monterey should be $121,000.

Lot 105 – 1978 Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9

Estimate: $100,000 – $130,000
Without Reserve
Chassis: 116.036.12.003902
  • Lot-105-Gooding-and-Company-Auctions-Pebble-Beach-2018-Mercedes-450SEL-6.9Astral Silver (735) w/ Blue leather
  • 18,950 miles indicated
  • Same owner past 37 years
  • Books, tools, shipping blocks
Another low mile 6.9 shows up at a Gooding and Co. auction. You might remember the 1977 6.9 that showed up at Gooding and Co.’s Scottsdale sale in 2015, a car I sold back in 2012 when I worked at Sears Imported Autos in Minneapolis. That car had just under 20,000 original miles and sold for $71,500, it was also a really cool metallic red / orange color, very unusual for a big sedan. The auction catalog admits that the car offered here has covered less than 1,000 miles in 30 years. They also say that it has undergone a “thorough detailing and mechanical refurbishment.” If I were a serious bidder on this car, I would make sure I got all the details regarding that mechanical refurbishment, as we all know a neglected 6.9, or even a ‘good one’, can drain your wallet faster than just about anything else. I don’t find this color combination all that inspiring, it’s one of the more common combinations I see on 6.9s. With such originality and low miles, it’s the kind of 6.9 that will end up in a museum type collection. What will it cost? The W116 cars have slowly been climbing in the market, very slowly, with 6.9s leading the pack. I think the estimate is a bit overly ambitious. I think this one will sell for $93,500.

1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 Sc Cabriolet

Lot-130-Gooding-and-Company-Auctions-Pebble-Beach-2018-Mercedes-300Sc-ConvertibleEstimate: $750,000 – $1,000,000
Chassis: 188.013.7500015
Engine: 199.980.6500170
  • Euro spec example
  • Originally white grey (DB 158) w/ blue interior
  • 1980s restoration
  • Factory Baisch luggage
  • ‘Best Mercedes’ Greenwich Concours 2006
Despite the fact that there are less than 50 of these cars (49 built), they show up at auction fairly regularly. I don’t think the color change affects this car too much. If someone wants a 300 Sc cabrio right now, this is what’s available. The right people have touched this one over the past few decades to assume it’s been well kept. Always desirable, I think this stately convertible will sell for $907,500.

1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet

Lot-136-Gooding-and-Company-Auctions-Pebble-Beach-2018-Mercedes-280SE-3.5-CabrioletEstimate: $250,000 – $325,000
Chassis: 111.027-12-001545
  • Tobacco Brown (423 H) w/ Cognac leather
  • Floor shift auto. trans.
  • Restored mid 1990s
  • Recent Service
  • Owner’s manual, tools
No claim is made regarding the 24,249 miles indicated on the odometer, so it’s safe to assume that it’s gone around once. It may not matter since the car was so extensively restored. It looks to be holding up well, consigned by the same owner as the tobacco brown coupe, lot #064. To many, this is the ultimate Mercedes of the 1970s. Comfort for four people, a top that goes down and a timeless design. These cars look great in Tobacco Brown and this particular model appeals to a wide range of collectors. The only Tobacco Brown 3.5 Convertible I’ve ever sold was purchased by a gentleman who described himself as ‘mostly a Ferrari guy, 50s and 60s stuff’. He said the 3.5 cab would be parked between his 300 SL Gullwing and 300 SL roadster in his… ‘mostly a Ferrari guy’ he said! I think this one has a good chance of exceeding its high estimate. Sale price prediction: $352,000.

1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster

Lot-140-Gooding-and-Company-Auctions-Pebble-Beach-2018-Mercedes-300SL-RoadsterEstimate: $1,800,000 – $2,200,000
Chassis: 198.042.10.003254
Engine: 198.982.10.000224
  • White (050) w/ Black (040) hard top / hub caps, red leather
  • Matching-Numbers
  • Disc-Brake, Alloy-Block
  • Built during the final week of 300 SL Production
  • Paul Russel & Co. Service
Gooding and Co. claims this car is ‘Among the Most Significant 300 SL Roadsters in Existence’ and they may have a point. Late production roadster, three documented owners from new, period photos, paperwork, Paul Russell and Co. repaint in 1999, and a 2015 engine rebuild. The early history of this car, and the original owners, is interesting, and as I’ve said before, everyone likes to have a good story to tell. The story is well known and has been told before, it’s been exhibited at many, mostly East coast concours events since 1999. Never the less, this should tick all the boxes on more than a handful of potential 300 SL roadster buyers in Monterey. I would hope we can turn the clock back to the Summer of 2014 and see this  car break the $2 million mark. Sale price prediction: $2,090,000.

1960 Mercedes-Benz 220 SE Cabriolet

Lot-174-Gooding-and-Company-Auctions-Pebble-Beach-2018-Mercedes-220SE-ConvertibleEstimate: $130,000 – $160,000
Without Reserve
Chassis: 128.030.10.003228
Engine: 127.983.10.000673
  • Burgundy w/ tan leather and soft top
  • ‘Sympathetically Freshened’ in the early 2010s
  • Floor shift, automatic transmission
Originally black with cream white leather, this car wears a color change repaint and different interior today. The catalog mentions the ‘unusual’ modification to the transmission shifter, in this case, from a column mounted automatic shifter to a floor mounted one, not ever offered on 220 SEs from the factory. The car certainly looks nice, but what exactly does ‘sympathetically freshened’ mean? I think it means some stuff was done, some stuff wasn’t. This car falls between original and correct and perfect restoration, a tough spot to be when it comes to dollars. Price prediction: $137,500.
That’s it for Mercedes-Benz at Gooding and Co. at Pebble Beach this year. Last year was the first time Gooding and Company held their sale on Friday and Saturday instead of Saturday and Sunday. I always liked walking up the hill after the Concours on Sunday to finish off a busy car week with the second night of the Gooding sale. The new schedule didn’t seem to disrupt things last year, so this will be the second year of the Friday / Saturday sale. The line up of Mercedes is formidable this year and the other cars in the sale are quite special… I’ll look forward to seeing the Porsche 550 Spyder cross the block, fabulous machines and so historically significant from a Porsche racing history standpoint. I’ll also enjoy seeing the white / black 300 SL roadster in the flesh, it looks great in the photos! Full schedule and other auction information is below.

Location:
Pebble Beach Equestrian Center
Corner of Stevenson Dr. and Portola Rd.

Viewing:
Wednesday, August 22
10:00am – 6:00pm

Thursday, August 23
9:00am – 6:00pm

Friday, August 24
9:00am – 9:00pm

Saturday, August 25
9:00am – 5:00pm

Auction:
Friday, August 24
5:00pm

Saturday, August 25
11:00am

Admittance:
Admittance – $40, admits one to all events
Catalogue – $100, admits two to all events
Cash or credit card only.
Children under 12 free.

Bidder Registration:
$200 includes a catalogue, admission for two to the viewing and auction with two reserved seats, subject to availability.

On-Site Contact Information:
Telephone: 310.899.1960
Fax: 310.526.6594
Email: info@goodingco.com

(All photos above used courtesy of the auction company)

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1 comment

Complete Mercedes Auction Results from Monterey Car Week 2018 - Mercedes Market September 4, 2018 - 5:46 pm

[…] Pebble Beach sale back in 2013, in my ‘Gooding and Co. Pebble Beach Preview’ (click here to visit that article.. the car in question is the white 220 SE, first on the list). He bought that car for $79,750 back the, it sold at Gooding and Co. this year for just $48,400. A […]

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