Story by Axel E. Catton
You’d think that by now everything has been said and written about the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL: its development, race history, driving impressions, test reports, technical essays.
But still, during last year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este at Italy’s Lake Como, there was a buzz from visitors and press alike surrounding Munich owner Erich Oswald’s bright-yellow 300SL Roadster.
The cause for the chatter: His car, which wasn’t even listed in the official book, not only shone in resplendent Uranium Yellow–no joke, that’s the official color name–but more importantly it displayed something unrepeatable. Oswald’s roadster is one of the most original and most complete 300SLs in the world.
One of Three
At the famous concours event, Oswald, who runs a car repair workshop in the center of Munich, tells us he only purchased the car six months prior–when it wore white paint, even though this roadster is one of only three ever built in Uranium Yellow.
“One went to Russia, the other to the Shah of Persia’s sister,” Oswald explains. And the third one was sold new in Germany, where it’s stayed ever since. Oswald’s may also be the only such SL delivered to Germany with disc brakes all round, a feature introduced only a few weeks before this car was built.
The first owner was a Nuremberg industrial businessman named Heinz Kress, who had come to wealth through his father’s packaging company. In the spring of 1961, he rewarded himself with the purchase of this yellow roadster, complete with a black hardtop.
Soon after, he took the SL to a variety of European destinations, like Paris, San Remo and Cannes, as evidenced by a large number of early color pictures. And much like today’s influencers and Instagrammers, Kress had himself photographed in, on and in front of his car wearing his golden Rolex 1803 Day-Date watch.
“This may well be the only 300 SL with such a complete photo documentation from day one,” Oswald enthuses. “Dozens of original color photographs, all complete documentation, correspondence with the dealer, the original German cardboard registration booklet, the owner’s manual and a service booklet completely stamped through at Mercedes in Nuremberg,” he explains, make the SL something very special. “During Kress’ ownership, the SL was always serviced at Mercedes in Nuremberg, as can be seen from all the papers.”
Heinz Kress, the 300 SL's original owner, fully documented the car’s European adventures. Not only is the paint original, but so are the tools and manuals. Photography Credits: Courtesy Max Kress
It was there in the late 1960s that Kress had his yellow roadster repainted in white.
The Complete Package
Today, Oswald has come to Nuremberg to meet Heinz’s son and to tell Classic Motorsports more about the car’s history and, more importantly, his father.
“I can remember very clearly when he bought the car,” says Max Kress, now 78, who undoubtedly inherited his father’s good looks. “I was 17 at the time and thought the SL was one hell of a looker. My father drove everywhere in the car, which wasn’t at all commonplace back then.
“That year,” he continues, “my mother and he went to Paris. I was allowed to come along, but only if I sat on my mother’s lap. Because he wasn’t taking his BMW V8, it had to be the SL. I had never been to Paris before and didn’t want to miss it, so somehow we made it.”
But the owner’s love for his car’s unusual paint job didn’t last very long. “At some point, he must have had enough about the jokes of it looking like a German mail delivery car,” Kress laughs.
At Mercedes in Nuremberg, the SL was given a white paint job–right over the original paint. “It’s because this was done so early that the yellow paint underneath remained in this good condition for over 50 years,” Oswald explains. It was a protective layer, almost like today’s wraps.
Back in the Family
After his father’s untimely death in 1973 at the age of just 60, the SL fell to 27-year-old Max–who then sold it.
“I already had a 911 Targa, and an SL was not yet a classic car back then,” he explains. “Shortly after, I wanted to buy it back, but that’s when the new owners said no.”
In the hands of the second owner, a Dr. Karp from near Frankfurt, the car was taken off the road as early as 1981 and not moved again until Oswald purchased it in 2021. It had been discovered and photographed by German 300 SL specialist HK-Engineering several years earlier and was subsequently put up for sale at a German classic car dealer for several years.
“That’s what I don’t get,” Oswald says, shrugging his shoulders, “because they had described everything correctly: one of three Uranium Yellow cars, original four-wheel disc brakes, German delivery, two owners, original registration documents, 63,000 kilometers mileage.”
It was not until December 2021 that Erich Oswald managed to strike a deal–offering his own Mercedes in exchange–and buy the car. After a subsequent search, the last owner reunited the original suitcases, safety belts and even the factory tool kit with the vehicle.
“The black hardtop, the seat belts from Baisch, but especially the leather suitcases that were originally ordered with this car, and the tools–all of it was still there. And it’s so very rare today that a 300 SL still has the cases that were ordered with it,” Oswald says with pride. The service booklet, stamped from 1961 to the current mileage, is also probably unique among SLs in the world.
Uncovering the Past
Oswald, though, wanted to return the car to its original color, so he again contacted HK-Engineering.
“Together we discussed whether it would be feasible to remove the applied white paint in such a way that we could preserve the original,” explains Oswald, himself a skilled automotive painter. “I know how much work that is and how quickly you can damage something.”
Why didn’t he do it himself? “I’m a painter, but I’m not a patient person,” he explains.
Photography Credits: Courtesy Max Kress
One problem with removing the white paint was the fact that it had been applied very well. Mercedes-Benz in Nuremberg had prepared the yellow paint underneath in such a way that the white cover lasted for more than 50 years.
“When there’s been shoddy paintwork,” Oswald notes, “you can often just use a spatula and pry it off.”
Over the next 10 weeks, specialists removed layer after layer of white paint, with Oswald growing more and more restless. “I was in constant contact with HK,” he recalls, “suggested this and that, and sometimes was asking myself if I had made a mistake and should have done it all myself. At the end we found a compromise, where I asked to get the car back with the faintest dusting of white to finish the last steps myself.”
Yellow Unveiled
Back in his own workshop, Oswald concentrated on getting to the finish line. The first stage was using 1200-grit sandpaper and water. “Then 2000, then 4000 and finally 6000,” he continues. “That’s already silk gloss right there.”
Even then, in the spring of 2022, Oswald didn’t know that his bright-yellow SL would be displayed at arguably Europe’s most prestigious concours. Organizers of the Villa d’Este event considered the story of this car so unusual that they sent out a last-minute invite.
After years of wearing white, the Benz’s topcoat was eventually removed to reveal the Uranium Yellow. Today, it’s a stunning driver.
“And I even won something,” he says with a grin. “I won the trophy for the longest distance traveled to the event.”
Because this car was not meant to stand around and be trailered, the 300-plus miles from Munich to Lake Como were no challenge for the 61-year-old sports car.
Despite the low miles, it’s always been a driver.
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Comments
Who says the 300 SL needs to be in silver/gray/black? These cars certainly pop in other colors.
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By Staff Writer
Photography by Heinrich Hülser unless otherwise credited
