1938 Mercedes Benz 320A Cabriolet HD 1080p

This 1938 Mercedes Benz 320A Cabriolet (W142) will be sold in an online auction with our friends at Bring-A-Trailer. As soon as this auction goes live, I will update this listing.
*Exquisite 10 plus year restoration finished in 2022
*Electric fuel pump added
*Elegant and appropriate color combination
*Electronic power steering assist added (no holes drilled in the process.
*Restoration geared towards competitive Concours judging
*Timeless elegance and style
*Owners, Workshop and Parts Manual go with Car
*German DMV documented Old timer approval
*Current California title and registration
Mercedes Benz offered their new 320 (W142) series of vehicles in two basic chassis lengths. The standard chassis was 3,300mm and a shorter, sportier version was offered at 2,880mm. A total of 11 different in-house bodies were offered. The short chassis version could be had in an open “Cabriolet A” configuration or as an all-weather Coupé. Both of these models were strictly two-seat versions. The longer wheelbase variants could be had with both open two-door coachwork that was still called “Cabriolet A” with another variant being offered with a disappearing top identified in English brochures at the time as “Sports Roadster.” The remaining models all carried both Coupé, Sedan and Convertible Sedan coachwork. The English Catalog lists available body styles as “Pullman-Limousine, Cabriolet B, Cabriolet F, Streamlined Saloon, Cabriolet D, Saloon and Open Touring Car.”
The first known mention of chassis Nr. 407 954 is a German registration date of July 1st, 1938 but the wheel base is incorrectly listed as 3400mm which is obviously a typo. No other details are known until it was noted by Swiss historian, Rob de la Rive Box while he was searching for a lost Maserati 150S and 200Si that were rumored to be in the famous Garage Siebenthal scrapyard. Neither Maserati was found there but Box wrote down the chassis number of a Bugatti Type 57, several Ferraris an Aston Martin as well as the chassis number for this Mercedes Benz. Rob Box noted at the time, the car consisted of chassis, engine, gearbox and suspension as well as a radiator and front bulkhead but the body was missing or elsewhere in the scrap yard.
Niklas Hannah took photographs in the 1970s and also noted the car being still there at that time, but nothing was further heard or reported until the car arrived in a disassembled state in the late 1990s in a German restoration facility. The car was then sold again and moved to SL-Classics Automobile where serious work soon commenced on the restoration of the car.
It is impossible to know exactly what coachwork was originally fitted to this vehicle. It could have easily been any variant of the various long wheelbase models offered. The restoration however focused on an exact replication of a 3,300mm, three-seat Cabriolet A which is how the car faithfully appears today.
By 2014 the car was purchased by the current owner while still undergoing this ground up nut + bolt restoration that was finally just completed earlier this year in 2022. The current owner initially agreed to purchase the vehicle for $800,000 USD which was to include the completion of the ongoing restoration. The sale was handled by a well-known broker / dealer here in the States but by the beginning of the following year, work had progressed too slowly and the sale was rescinded and the car instead purchased directly from the German owner for $500,000. The remaining restoration work would be paid for on an ongoing progress based on completed work.
The restoration itself was overseen by Germany-based SL-Classics Automobile, ensured this 320 would drive as well as it looked. Superbly finished in a fitting burgundy - gray color, neatly contrasting against a well-trimmed red leather interior and roof done to the highest standards. The chrome and bright work was finished with equal precision and attention to detail. The Mercedes-Benz' electrical system was completely renewed with new cabling and connectors.
This 320 Cabriolet A was optionally fitted with the very rare “ZF four-speed gearbox with the option over-drive unit. Both the gearbox and overdrive system along with the cars entire mechanicals were comprehensively overhauled. Details of this can be found in several documentation albums as well as numerous photo files.
The lavish interior of this 320 Cabriolet is just as exclusive an environment as a contemporary top-of-the-line Mercedes-Benz 500 / 540K. The Restored VDO instruments record vital running information, and the highly-polished wood covering the dashboard and door capping's has been expertly renewed.
My very best to all, always,
Bill Noon
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That's a car for Stefan Luftschitz of CarGold from Rosenheim, Germany. Inform him of the upcoming auction i would say...