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300 SLs, Art Cars & Other Must-See Automobiles Heading to Florida

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With over 300 automobiles crossing the block across two days, RM Sotheby’s: Fort Lauderdale sale is one of RM's most diverse events. Long considered one of South Florida’s premier automotive auctions, this year’s sale is headlined by two important Mercedes-Benz 300 SLs, a Gullwing and a Roadster, from nearly 90 years of combined single ownership. Click ahead to preview the 300 SLs poised to take centre stage next weekend, as well as nine other standout lots on offer. –Jake Auerbach

RM Sotheby’s: Fort Lauderdale
6–7 April | Fort Lauderdale 

300 SLs, Art Cars & Other Must-See Automobiles Heading to Florida

  • Darin Schnabel ©2018 Courtesy o/Darin Schnabel ©2018 Courtesy o
    1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing. Estimate $1,000,000–1,300,000.
    Offered on behalf of its long-term owner since 1968, this 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing is one of the very last of its production line. It displays a host of unique late model upgrades, including the full leather interior and Becker-Mexico radio. Never entirely restored, this car retains an original interior that displays a fantastic patina. It is being sold with 100 per cent of the hammer proceeds benefitting the Jackson, Michigan YMCA.  

    RM Sotheby’s: Fort Lauderdale
    6–7 April | Fort Lauderdale 
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  • Ryan Merrill ©2018 Courtesy of
    1959 MG MGA Twin-Cam. Estimate $65,000–85,000.
    The MGA Twin-Cam is legendary in enthusiast circles. Only a few cosmetic items set the Twin-Cam off from the standard MGA roadster on which it was based. Performance, however, was worlds apart. The highly developed 1,600 cc engine produced 120 bhp, capable of accelerating the lithe English chassis to well over 110 mph. Few cars were produced, and even fewer received the dutiful maintenance their highly-strung engines required. 

    RM Sotheby’s: Fort Lauderdale
    6–7 April | Fort Lauderdale 
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  • Ryan Merrill ©2018 Courtesy of
    1961 Jaguar XK 150 S 3.8 Fixed Head Coupe. Estimate $100,000–130,000.
    The XK 150 offered here represents the ultimate in classic Jaguar construction. It is a late production fixed head coupe fitted with the 265-horsepower version of the larger, 3.8-liter inline six-cylinder engine with its trio of SU carburetors. Sources report that just 150 were built, including this one that spent nearly its entire life in California’s climate. The red XK 150 has been well preserved and maintains a largely original black leather interior. 

    RM Sotheby’s: Fort Lauderdale
    6–7 April | Fort Lauderdale 
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  • Ryan Merrill ©2018 Courtesy of
    1962 Jaguar Mark 2 Sedan. Estimate $40,000–55,000.
    Many consider the Jaguar Mark 2 to the world’s first example of a sports sedan, a segment that defines many of the new cars on the road today. While the Mark 2 line featured a number of engine and drivetrain options, the Mark 2 3.8 was the rarest and most desirable. This 1962 example is painted a striking white over red leather with a burled wood dashboard. It also includes upgrades such as speed hold – Jaguar’s cruise control – air conditioning, a period AM radio and chrome wire wheels.  

    RM Sotheby’s: Fort Lauderdale
    6–7 April | Fort Lauderdale 
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  • Ryan Merrill ©2018 Courtesy of
    1963 Ford Thunderbird Convertible. Estimate $40,000–50,000.
    The Thunderbird’s reputation as a luxury cruiser was cemented by the time the third-generation T-Bird hit the road in 1961. The Thunderbird was a grand touring car with styling and performance to match. By 1963, the last year of the third generation Thunderbird, buyers were fully acclimated to its luxury touches such as the “Swing Away” steering wheel. This well-documented example is painted Wimbledon White over a parchment interior and has many unique features. 

    RM Sotheby’s: Fort Lauderdale
    6–7 April | Fort Lauderdale 
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  • ©2018 Courtesy of RM Auctions
    2008 Ferrari F430 Challenge "Art Car" by Ben Levy. Estimate $120,000–160,000.
    This 2008 Ferrari F430 Challenge is one of three cars painted by artists for a charity auction at Art Basel 2015. Renowned British Pop artist Ben Levy turned this car’s carbon-fiber body into an eye-catching contemporary artwork on wheels with his signature hand-painted graffiti. The “canvas” itself is a desirable and race-proven F430 Challenge, just as ready for the track as it is for the gallery.  

    RM Sotheby’s: Fort Lauderdale
    6–7 April | Fort Lauderdale 
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  • Darren Miles
    1949 Bentley B Special Speed 8 by Racing Green Engineering. Estimate $325,000–375,000.
    Few automobiles are as beloved by enthusiasts as the 6½-Liter Bentley racing cars. The success of these engines established Bentley as the iconic racing car of the early 1930s. The car offered here is a truly stunning drivable homage to those early racing Bentleys. It was built from Bentley and Rolls-Royce components for the consignor by Racing Green Engineering Limited of Carmarthenshire, Wales, in 2011.  

    RM Sotheby’s: Fort Lauderdale
    6–7 April | Fort Lauderdale 
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  • ©2018 Courtesy of RM Auctions
    1986 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC 6.0 AMG ‘Wide-Body.’ Estimate $100,000–150,000.
    Before any formal partnership existed between AMG and Mercedes-Benz, owning an AMG-branded automobile was a bit more complicated than going down to the local dealership. While AMG had produced tuned versions of Mercedes-Benz street cars for select customers, the 560 SEC 6.0 was their first serial production car, with just 50 built out of a planned run of 100 cars. The cosmetic modifications and all-white exterior treatment give this car a look that’s distinctly 1980s.  

    RM Sotheby’s: Fort Lauderdale
    6–7 April | Fort Lauderdale 
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  • Andrew Link ©2018 Courtesy of R
    1953 Cadillac Eldorado. Estimate $220,000–270,000.
    In 1953, General Motors introduced a series of limited-production specialty convertibles, including the Cadillac Eldorado . At $7,750, nearly $65,000 today, the Eldorado convertible was the most expensive car offered by Cadillac for the 1953 model year. It was truly exclusive, and with just 532 cars built, there simply weren't enough to satisfy the tremendous demand. Today the 1953 Eldorado remains one of the finest pure American designs from the pre-Jet Age years. 

    RM Sotheby’s: Fort Lauderdale
    6–7 April | Fort Lauderdale 
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  • Darin Schnabel ©2018 Courtesy o/Darin Schnabel ©2018 Courtesy o
    1962 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster. Estimate $1,200,000–1,500,000.
    At the 1957 Geneva Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz introduced a convertible version of the celebrated 300 SL "Gullwing," the 300 SL Roadster.  The new roadster was above all a more refined car than its winged predecessor. Never fully restored but always maintained, this particular model is a very special late-production European-headlight, disc-brake, alloy-block 300 SL roadster, in striking colours, offered from one wonderful long-term home to another. 

    RM Sotheby’s: Fort Lauderdale
    6–7 April | Fort Lauderdale 
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  • Darin Schnabel ©2017 Courtesy o
    2006 Ford GT. Estimate $300,000–350,000.
    As part of the Ford Motor Company centennial celebration, Ford debuted the retro-styled GT. A modern homage to Ford’s racing heritage, the car celebrated the highly successful GT40 program of the 1960s. This car , one of only 222 produced in Centennial White for 2006, has had one owner and shows just 10.8 total miles. This may well be the last opportunity to buy a “new” 2006 Ford GT.  

    RM Sotheby’s: Fort Lauderdale
    6–7 April | Fort Lauderdale 
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