Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster by Steve Bell From Classic Car Care

Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz 300SL, Valeting and Detailing, White

When it comes to working on cars worth seven figures, most of us would be more than a little nervous. For Steve however, it's just another day in the office. This particular 'office', hidden away in Oxfordshire and protected by a combination of anonymity and electric gates, is owned by one of the top motoring journalists.

Originality is what these cars are all about, a well maintained patina trumps a perfect, swirl-free gloss. So the mission for Steve was to delicately enhance and protect this beauty without removingĀ one iota of originality.

The first step was a very gentle and meticulous wash - no snow foam or pressure washes, just a reliable three-bucket method. As the car is dry-stored and hardly does any miles, no serious decontamination was required, so it was straight in with Rupes Ultrafine finishing polish applied by hand.

This was followed by a couple of coats of Race-Glaze 55 which is one of Steve's favourites for this sort of job.

For a sixty-plus year old car, on original paint, she looked mighty fine after eight hours work.

The interior had been re-trimmed as the original hide would have been beyond saving at this age.

With some cleaning and conditioning, it came up extremely well. The bold red set off the cream paintwork very nicely indeed.

In contrast, the chrome was original, and after years of polishing, the coating was quite thin. Steve used non-abrasive polish to get it as good as possible without risking damage.

Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz 300SL, interior, Valeting, detailing, Classic Car Care
Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz 300SL, White,
Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz 300SL, interior, Valeting, detailing, Classic Car Care