Step back in time several decades, and you might have seen a Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster trudging through the snow with two people inside, headed for a lovely weekend at the slopes. Being a two-seater with a folding fabric roof, carrying skis meant using a nifty trunk-mounted rack designed specifically for the sports car.
Flash forward to 2024, and 300SL Roadster owners can once again venture out for a posh wintertime ski trip in the mountains. Mercedes-Benz has brought back the retro ski racks, taking to Instagram with the news and announcing a public debut at Retromobile 2024 in Paris. The classic car show kicked off today, and going by the Mercedes-Benz Museum account, the chrome rack looks just as good today as it did in the late 1950s.
Of course, some things have changed since then. While one certainly could drive a 60-plus-year-old Merc through the snow, we have doubts about anyone actually doing it with their car. The delectable Roadster is a million-dollar machine these days, with some brushing up against the two-million mark. But that doesn't mean one can't enjoy the nostalgia of it all. Heck, bolt it up in July, toss some skis on there, and cruise the French Riviera. We'd do it, smiling the whole way.
Aside from the aforementioned Instagram post, we've not had any luck digging up information on the rack other than it's available for purchase through Mercedes-Benz Classic Centers. We didn't find any listings through the US or European website, but we've contacted Mercedes directly and are waiting to hear back on pricing. We'll jump in with details when they become available. Considering the targeted buyers for these racks already have considerable investments in their cars, we suspect the price doesn't really matter.
