On October 29, 1957, this elegant Mercedes 300SL Roadster left the factory bound for Rome/Italy. It was ordered by the company of the long-established Italian aristocratic family Merescalchi. The equipment had been changed again at the factory shortly before delivery. Among other things, the instruments were labeled in English and the scaled-beam headlights, which were important for the USA, were installed, as the factory data sheet impressively demonstrates. The car was probably intended to have a home in the USA and came into the country via Newport Imports in Southern California. It soon belonged to the renowned university professor Robert C. Gregg, who focused his studies at Stanford University in sunny California on historical belief systems and the competition between religions in the late Roman-early medieval Mediterranean region. In the early 2000s, Bruce Strauss, a renowned Mercedes-Benz specialist in California, acquired the car. He carefully restored the car with great expertise. The car then went to its next owner, who had the technical care carried out by the well-known 300SL mechanic Rene Luteran from Los Angeles. The car is still in excellent overall condition today and is reliable and pleasant to drive. Its sporty black paintwork gives it a charisma that is second to none. It is one of the highly coveted "matching numbers" vehicles.