1955 300B Pininfarina Coupe

[Conquistador]

Attended this weekend's Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace as press and spent a long time admiring this stunning 1955 Coupe (on Monaco plates, naturally).

In 1954 Pininfarina wrote to Mercedes asking for a chassis on which to build a pillarless coupe. They cautiously agreed and approved drawings. The next year, this car was shipped to Pininfarina's studios.

In 1972 the owner wrote to Pininfarina asking for new badges, because the car had been involved in an accident. It was found decaying in a barn for 20 years and was fully restored for the 1992 Pebble Beach Concours.

 

[Charles Morgan]

The profile is very reminiscent of the Mulliner bodied S1 Continentals of the time. A singular car!

 

[John Jones Jr]

Three letters...WOW!

 

[BTB 500]

It's ok ... of course what it really needs is lowered suspension, fat wheels, tinted windows and a loud exhaust

 

[Giantvanman]

Such a shame that modern cars aren't half as interesting or have a fraction of the elegance that has.

 

[Charles Morgan]

Goes without saying Bill!

 

[219]

The car looks lovely , but the distortion in both photographs , I'm sure , is skewing the appearance of the car and spoils it for me , especially the second photograph where the vertical pillars of the building are anything but .

 

[Conquistador]

The car looks lovely , but the distortion in both photographs , I'm sure , is skewing the appearance of the car and spoils it for me , especially the second photograph where the vertical pillars of the building are anything but .

Sorry, took the first photo myself on my phone, but the second shot was from the official catalogue which is hardback so could only get it so flat without creasing the spine

 

[219]

I'll have a play with them in Photoshop tonight , and see if I can straighten , particularly the second one , out .

 

[Ten elena]

Lovely car!

 

[Sp!ke]

I'll have a play with them in Photoshop tonight , and see if I can straighten , particularly the second one , out .

There are lots of pictures of the same car on google that you could use.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=1...MYSGOMqigfgF&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1760&bih=990

I assume this is how it originally looked, in which case the chrome arches are a retrofit - I wonder what they are hiding?

It is a thing of beauty though. (apart from the rear windscreen wipers)

 

[IanA2]

The profile is very reminiscent of the Mulliner bodied S1 Continentals of the time. A singular car!

I was just thinking that.

It really is a beauty, although a tad underpowered.

 

[rifiki]

Built to an engineering standard just like my Ponton of many decades ago