1969 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 2+2 Coupe for sale

Ever wonder how an Italian design firm would reimagine a German Q-ship? Here’s an answer, this one-off 1969 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL by Pininfarina.

A Dutch lithographer loved the 300 SEL, but he wanted a convertible. Mercedes-Benz refused. He asked for a coupe. That was also a no. The company also declined to sell him a roller to modify. So, he bought a standard 300 SEL and then approached Pininfarina to create a 2+2 version. They also said no, saying the chassis would not be stiff enough. However, Pininfarina gave in to the persistent Dutchman when he agreed to bring it to them in Italy.

This car comes with an extraordinary amount of correspondence between the Dutch lithographer, Mercedes-Benz and Pininfarina. The owner certainly wanted things his way, and made quite a few requests for modifications. The total quoted cost at the time? 10,000,000 Lire. Fortunately, the owner said “he liked it immensely” in the correspondence.

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Comments

cwfritz New Reader
7/31/23 11:36 a.m.

Love this car in profile, the proportions, the interior (those headrests!), and the engine. Front end and rear end treatments are awkward, stacked quad headlights like the 300SE would have been better and large round single headlights like the 300SL better still. A four-speed or five-speed stick for me, please.

sir_mike Reader
7/31/23 5:08 p.m.

Sorry but not really a pretty car

sfisher71 New Reader
8/1/23 7:25 p.m.

At Pebble Beach in 2021, I spotted a W113 Mercedes (230/250/280SL) with Pininfarina bodywork. It had a fixed roof and was subtly different from the stock SL.

I did get photos but they're on the "old" computer (you know how that goes). That was a great year, as I had the assignment to drive five SLs belonging to Mercedes, including a stock 280SL -- and the dream of a lifetime, a 1957 300SL roadster. Best day at work ever.

(That's Ralph Wagenknecht of Mercedes Classic Division in the mask -- this was the first concours after the pandemic. I'm sure they had him ride with me, and not any of the other SLs, because none of those had recently sold for $1.4 million. I'm not saying I would have driven it home to Oregon if he hadn't been in the car with me, but...)