Ralph Lauren's Mercs
Decades before the surge in classic car values, world-famous fashion designer Ralph Lauren was a passionate vintage motor collector, drawn to the style and flare of cars produced by European automakers.
In an interview with Autoweek Lauren revealed “I saw them as moving art.”, a view he later shared with Vanity Fair “It’s my eye: I love the way cars look. I could stand there and look at the tailpipes.”
Lauren‘s stable, more tasteful than vast, has been featured at art exhibitions and fashion shows in Paris, Boston and his native New York. Rare models from the most coveted marques including Bugatti, Ferrari and Jaguar make up his gallery, as well as those from his first love, Mercedes-Benz.
1971 Mercedes-Benz W111 Cabriolet
Lauren’s first acquisition after becoming an independent designer is this 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SE, with the highly desirable 3.5L V8 engine. He ordered it new, with a tan leather interior and beige soft-top, rather than the black & black palette the NYC dealer recommended. “That’s the way I saw it.” Lauren expressed to Vanity Fair.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL "Gullwing"
No collection is complete without the most iconic supercar of the 20th century – the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Coupe “Gullwing”. Yet again, Lauren would be a trail blazer by daring to change the colours of a classic car to achieve his vison. When restoring his Gullwing, a bit of cream was added into the traditional silver paint. “I got the right colour, I got the right leather. These cars are all what you dream they should be.”
1958 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster
While the Gullwing’s top-hinged doors is a popular party trick, the 300SL Roadster is considered to be the superior in both looks and performance. “It might not be the rarest car,” says Lauren, “but it’s one of the most beautiful cars made, and it drives very beautifully...”
1930 Mercedes-Benz SSK "Count Trossi."
The rarest and certainly most valuable stallion in Lauren’s stable is the curvaceous 1930 Mercedes-Benz SSK, custom-designed by a young Ferdinand Porsche for Count Trossi of Italy. This former race car is unique with its shortened chassis with outlandish fenders. With Lauren as custodian of the Count’s vision, the SSK was a Pebble Beach winner in 1993, and still looks amazing almost 100 years later.
The Ralph Lauren clothing website offers detailed model replicas of the man’s classic car collection alongside his famous apparel, weaving all of his passions into the brand.
“I’ve always seen cars as art. Moving art. While friends of mine were into paintings, I somehow felt that the real beauty of owning a rare and magnificently designed car was the fact that you can use it. You can look at it, enjoy its visual qualities, as with a painting, but you can also get inside and drive it - which means both enjoying the drive itself and going somewhere with it,”
A special thanks to Autoweek, Forbes, Vanity Fair for references and photos, and Adam Lerner for photos.