Monterey Car Week 2018 was another big year, car shows, auctions, and more interesting cars than you can begin to absorb. We’ve listed just about every Mercedes-Benz offered at the various auctions on the Peninsula below. When looking over the prices, and how they might vary from model to model, remember, it’s the details that makes the difference between prices. On older cars, quality of restoration or degree of originality, with newer cars, the odometer is often the largest deciding factor, then you’ve got the regular ‘used cars’… cars that aren’t really collectibles or special, but still show up at collector car auctions.
High 300 SL sale of the week was achieved by Gooding and Company with this 1963 Roadster that sold for $2,530,000.
The highest Mercedes-Benz sale of the week wasn’t a Pre-War masterpiece, but a much more modern Mercedes CLK GTR, one of only a few road going versions built. RM Sotheby’s sold that one for $4,515,000. 300 SL numbers seemed strong, whether the car was a complete restoration, preservation class example or garage find. Gooding and Co. sold a gorgeous 300 SL roadster, white with black hard top, for $2,530,000, the high 300 SL sale of the week.
Other SLs had a tougher time. The health of the Pagoda SL market can, in part, be judged by the number of cars offered, just 10 this year, about half the number offered on the past few years. People don’t send their cars to auction if they don’t think they’re going to get good money for them.Just a few years ago you could sell just about any, running, driving 280 SL for $60,000. Those days are long gone. Real money on typical ‘driver quality’ 280 SLs that need the obligatory $5,000 – $10,000 worth of work is $50,000, on a good day… less for 230 and 250 SLs.
Rudi and Co. restored 190 SL offered at no reserve brought $257,600 at RM Sotheby’s.
The 190 SL market is a tough place to be these days as well. There are a lot of cars to choose from, so you have to have something really nice to bring the money. One consignor was confident in what he had, a recent 190 SL restoration from Rudi and Co. offered without reserve at RM Sotheby’s pulled $257,600. I looked this car over carefully and found it very difficult to fault.
There were lots of 560 SLs that didn’t sell… due to the largely unrealistic expectations of their consignors. With so many good, original examples out there, mileage is the determining factor of price. Prices drop quickly once the odometer hits 50,000 miles, anything approaching 75,000 or great is a driver, even if you’ve spent $10,000 on maintenance… it’s still a mid teens car.
280 SE 3.5 cab at RM Sotheby’s.
W111 Coupes and cabs were plentiful, most cars offered were of the 3.5 or 4.5 V8 variety. 280 SE 3.5 cabs have settled down in the market, but remain describable cars, they’re just not selling for what they did a few years ago, but they’re still worth multiples of what they were about 8 years ago. A client of mine bought a very nice 3.5 cab in 2010 for $40,000… another client bought a completely restored, two owner example in 2012 for $160,000. Today, you can’t touch cars with stories for less than the low $200,000s. Before auction week, I wrote up a story about one particular W111 coupe, a 220 SE that a friend purchased at Gooding and Company’s 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 tough pill to swallow. Probably not so much a reflection of the market, but a matter of the right people not being in the room to produce a better sale number.
Details, details. These U.S. spec license plate light housings are installed upside down. There is a small cap on the bottom, as these are installed, that you unscrew to change the bulb. You wont’ be able to change the bulb on these unless you remove the entire housing. What else was done incorrectly on this car?
Consignors of newer Mercedes supercars, SLS and AMG GT’s were largely unimpressed with the bidding on their cars, most went home unsold. There are plenty of these cars available on the used car market,it just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to buy one at auction, therefore, it doesn’t make much sense to consign one at an auction.
$156,750, huge money for a 6.9, even with really low miles.
A sub 20k mile 450 SEL 6.9 sold for $156,750 at the Gooding and Company sale. This is huge money for a 6.9, even for one with such low miles. I was involved with the sale of a 6.9 a few years ago with about 19,000 miles, original paint, one owner, etc. etc. It eventually showed up at Gooding and Co.’s Scottsdale sale in 2015 and brought in the mid $70,000s. Don’t get too excited, all you 6.9 owners, your 100,000 mile example still isn’t more than about $15,000.
Remember, numbers don’t tell the whole story, so refer to the auction catalogs for more details while referring to the list below. What surprised you at this year’s Monterey auctions? Make a comment below this post with your thoughts and impressions.
Mercedes of note offered at the various auctions in Monterey, CA 2018
Auction company abbreviations:
B – Bonhams, G – Gooding & Co.
M – Mecum RM – RM / Sotheby’s,
RS – Russo and Steele, W – Worldwide
Unsold lots are in RED with unsuccessful high bid listed.
All sale figures include buyer’s premium.
300 SL
’54 300 SL Coupe – RM – Lot 144 – $1,380,000
’55 300 SL Coupe – RM – Lot 237 – $1,435,000
’55 300 SL Coupe – M – Lot 102 – $1,000,000
’55 300 SL Coupe – B – Lot 104 – $1,875,000
’56 300 SL Coupe – G – Lot 061 – $1,127,500
’58 300 SL Rdstr – M – Lot 116 – $1,072,500
’61 300 SL Rdstr – RM – Lot 130 – $1,297,500
’63 300 SL Rdstr – G – Lot 140 – $2,530,000
’63 300 SL Rdstr – RM – Lot 242 – $1,930,000
190 SL
’55 190 SL – RS – Lot 625 – $60,000
’58 190 SL – RM – Lot 248 – $257,600
’59 190 SL – B – Lot 101 – $131,600
’60 190 SL – RS – Lot 448 – $73,000
’62 190 SL – M – Lot 157 – $110,000
’62 190 SL – RS – Lot 642 – $85,250
’62 190 SL – RM – Lot 105 – $179,200
W113 Pagoda SLs
’65 230 SL – RS – Lot 611 – $70,000
’68 280 SL – RM – Lot 268 – $126,000
’69 280 SL – M – Lot 85 – $57,200
’70 280 SL – RM – Lot 174 – $100,800
’71 280 SL – RS – Lot 445 – $57,500
’71 280 SL – RS – Lot 658 – $100,000
’69 280 SL – M – Lot 55 – $70,000
’69 280 SL – M – Lot 179 – $50,600
’70 280 SL – M – Lot 52 – $88,000
’70 280 SL – M – Lot 59 – $70,000
R107 SLs
’78 450 SL – M – Lot 175 – $7,000
’86 560 SL AMG – RS – Lot 431 – $44,000
’87 560 SL – W – Lot 7 – $26,400
’88 560 SL – RS – Lot 213 – $13,500
’88 560 SL – RS – Lot 437 – $22,550
’89 560 SL – RS – Lot 425 – $19,000
’89 560 SL – B – Lot 3 – $44,800
’89 560 SL – RS – Lot 246 – $19,500
’89 560 SL – M – Lot 57 – $41,800
R129 SLs
’93 500 SL – M – Lot 76 – $14,850
’98 SL 500 – M – Lot 59 – $8,800
R230 SLs
’03 SL 500 – RS – Lot 243 – $10,000
’03 SL 500 – RS – Lot 249 – $24,200
’03 SL 500 – RS – Lot 232 – $13,200
’03 SL 500 – RS – Lot 220 – $12,650
’06 SL 500 – M – Lot 62 – $26,950
’08 SL 550 – M – Lot 86 – $19,250
Pre War
’13 28/60 HP Phaeton – B – Lot 109 – $720,000
’36 500K Offener Tourenwgn – B – Lot 53 – $1,215,000
’37 540K Sports Rdstr Mayfair – B – Lot 74 – $3,277,500
’37 540 K Cab B – M – Lot 92.1 – 577,500
’38 170V Cabriolet – W – Lot 30 – $126,500
W111 Coupes and Cabs
’61 220 SEb Coupe – G – Lot 009 – $48,400* (see link above to more on this car)
’65 250 SE Coupe – W – Lot 2 – $75,000
’67 250 SE Cab – M – Lot 100 – $90,000
’70 280 SE 3.5 Cab – G – Lot 136 – $286,000
’70 280 SE 3.5 Coupe – RM – Lot 267 – $112,000
’71 280 SE 3.5 Coupe – G – Lot 064 – $74,800
’71 280 SE 3.5 Cab – RM – Lot 206 – $280,000
’71 280 SE 3.5 Cab – M – Lot 139.1 – $266,750
SLR / SLS / AMG GT
’05 SLR McLaren – W – Lot 14 – $280,000
’06 SLR McLaren – M – Lot 156 – $200,000
’14 SLS AMG Black Series – G – Lot 063 – $412,000
’14 SLS AMG Black Series – RS – Lot 654 – $325,000
’14 SLS AMG Black Series – M – Lot 108 – $420,000
’17 AMG GT3 Racecar – G – Lot 046 – $240,000
’17 AMG GT ‘Laureus’ – RM – Lot 219 – $885,000 (charity)
’17 AMG GT – RS – Lot 453 – $90,000
’17 AMG GT – RS – Lot 691 – $99,000
Other AMG
’98 AMG CLK GTR – RM – Lot 241 – $4,515,000
’03 SL 55 RENNTech – RS – Lot 240 – withdrawn
’05 SL 65 Black Series Tribute – RS – Lot 635 – $82,500
’08 CLK 63 Black Series – RS – Lot 631 – $100,000
’08 CLK 63 Black Series – W – Lot 58 – $75,900
’08 CLK 63 Black Series – RS – Lot 637 – $71,500
’09 SL 65 Black Series – M – Lot 109 – $165,000
’09 SL 65 Black Series – RS – Lot 671 – $203,500
’09 SL 63 AMG – RS – Lot 257 – $30,000
Other Coupes, Convertibles
’53 220 Cab A – RM – Lot 114 – $156,800
’57 300 Sc Cabriolet – G – Lot 130 – $750,000
‘59 220 S Cabriolet – W – Lot 54 – $90,200
’59 220 SE Cabriolet – RS – Lot 226 – $150,000
’59 300 d Cab – M – Lot 92 – $240,000
’60 220 SE Cabriolet – G – Lot 174 – $132,000
’89 560 SEC – RS – Lot 440 – $16,000
’89 560 SEC – RS – Lot 603.1 – $21,450
’90 560 SEC AMG – M – Lot 155 – Withdrawn
Other Sedans / Wagons
’52 300 Adenauer – RM – Lot 172 – $58,800
’58 300 d ‘Adenauer’ – G – Lot 032 – $55,000
’71 300 SEL 6.3 – W – Lot 49 – $38,500
’77 280 SE – M – Lot 141.1 – $2,000 No Sale ran again as lot 233, no sale at $1,000
’78 450 SEL 6.9 – G – Lot 105 – $156,750
’85 380 SE – M – Lot 7 – $4,400
’89 300 TE Wagon – W – Lot 25 – $22,000
’90 250 GD SWB Custom – B – Lot 19 – $81,200
’93 500 E – B – Lot 80 – $100,800 (14k miles)
“Used Cars”
’01 SLK 230 – M – Lot 160 – $22,000
’01 SLK 230 – M – Lot 216 – $6,050
’04 CLK 500 – RS – Lot 202 – $10,175
’04 CLK 320 Conv. – RS – Lot 210 – $6,050
’05 CLK 500 Cab – M – Lot 20 – $5,500
’11 CLS 550 – M – Lot 13 – $25,850
’17 G 550 Wide Body – RS – Lot 639 – $148,500