MB300 S

Our vision is bold: to compete to win at Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance with a car restored in our program.

Restoring a vehicle to compete to win at Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance is a bold undertaking, especially when the work will be done by a group of apprentice restoration students. Yet that is exactly what the McPherson College Automotive Restoration program has set out to do with a 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Cabriolet.

Learn more about the project and follow our student’s progress below as they prepare to compete in 2023.

Project Updates
Progress Report, Spring 2023
A vision, 10 years in the making, has come true for students, alumni, and employees of the McPherson College Automotive Restoration program — the only four-year bachelor’s degree program for automotive restoration in the nation. The 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Cabriolet, entirely restored by students, has been accepted by the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and will be shown there on August 20, 2023. See details of progress in the project timeline.

It's going to Pebble Beach!
Our 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Cabriolet has been accepted by the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and will be shown there on August 20, 2023.
MC Will Show Car at Pebble Beach Concours D’ Elegance
History
The college unveiled its project in 2016 at an event in Pebble Beach. The vehicle came from Richard and Mary Hopeman and is a perfect fit for the program and its mission to be the center of excellence in automotive restoration education.
Finding our 300 S
Sponsors & Advisors
Aeristo donated nine historically correct leather hides for the interior. The 300 SL Foundation has funded a full year of project team wages. PPG has donated all of the paint materials. PPG representative, Steve Pisano, met with the advanced paint class and worked with the Mercedes-Benz team. Alumna Mariah Bruins ‘09, owner of MRestoration Design, met with the team to advise on bodywork and paint preparation. Both Richard Barnes and Bob Lapane from Paul Russell & Co. have mentored students in the project. Barnes demonstrated and explained techniques that helped students restore the top of the vehicle. Lapane lectured and demonstrated the assembly of the rear axle.