1972 Mercedes-Benz 350 SL

As you might imagine, the highly-prized, ever-popular and much-sought-after Mercedes-Benz SL is a fairly familiar sight here at our Oxfordshire HQ.

They are revered as classics for a reason.

Whatever the iteration - gull-wing, pagoda, ‘R’ variants ranging from 107 to 231 - the base DNA remains the same: exceptional quality married to brilliant engineering in an enduringly attractive and luxurious package.

This fine example stands out because it is in very good, original, authentic, and believed unrestored condition – which is all the more impressive given that it’s a very early R107 and is now 53 years old.

The vendor has owned the car for just over a year, during which time he has done nothing to it save for some routine maintenance and repair with marque specialists.

He is only selling because a change in personal circumstances necessitates it.

He has previously owned an SL ‘Pagoda’ and knows his way around the marque and the SL model variants.

He chose this one precisely because it was as original as he could find and, aside from having had a fresh coat of paint applied at some point, was pretty much as it was when Wolfgang and Gunther waved it goodbye from the production line in Stuttgart in 1972.

The car’s originality is such that it even comes with its original radio and build card, Sundym glass, and has a complete service history (much of it main dealer) up until about 100,000 miles, after which it spent a few years doing not very much at all.

Today, the odometer reads 122,557 miles, which really shouldn’t have remotely troubled the bullet-proof 200bhp (M116) V8 engine ticking away lazily under the car’s elegant bonnet.

This vehicle presents extremely well from every angle and has survived the passage of time with what would appear to be plenty of resilience and stoicism.

The bodywork is uniformly straight, true and free of any dents, bumps, dinks or creases of consequence that we can see anywhere.

The panel gaps and shut lines are perfectly decent and the doors close with certainty and weight.

The chrome-work is free of any foxing, pitting or tarnishing that we can see, but there are a few scratches to the chrome strip beneath the driver’s door window.

The paintwork is really pretty impressive, too, and there’s plenty of shine and lustre left in it.

There’s a long thin scratch on top of the n/s/r wing, and a few stone chips around the ‘nose’ of the car, on top of the front wings and at the front of the bonnet.

We spotted some scuffs to the rubber on the front bumper, a little micro-blistering to the paint beneath the passenger door window, a few scratches on both front wheel-arches and, on the windscreen, a crack and a small patch of delamination at the bottom offside corner.

The wheels are in very decent order, aside from one or two scuffs on the edges of the hub caps, and the tyres look to have a decent amount of use left in them.

All lights, lenses, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings look to be in very good overall condition.

The hard-top is fine, although the ‘parcel shelf’ section at the rear base is showing some staining that might indicate previous water ingress – perhaps during a car wash or similar.

The black mohair hood, which may well be original, is in remarkably good order.

The interior is in pretty much time-warp condition and is evidently both unrestored and very well preserved.

The red upholstery is fashioned from the legendarily hard-wearing MB-Tex alternative to leather.

The seats are comfortable, supportive and functional.

Aside from a small hole in MB-Tex material in the outer bolster of the driver’s seat back-rest, the upholstery is in excellent condition.

The red carpets and mats are fine, if a little sun-faded.

There are a couple of nicks to the vinyl on the passenger door storage bin.

The red plastic on the centre console is rather faded and there are cracks in it to the left of the radio and to the right of the gear selector.

The hard-top headlining is good, as in the soft-top lining.

The steering wheel and gear selector are in fine fettle, and all dashboard dials, instruments, switches, toggles and knobs look good, too.

As far as we’re aware, everything does what it’s meant to do when asked.

The engine and engine bay look very clean, tidy and ordered, with everything in its right and proper place.

The chassis and underpinnings look to have plenty of integrity, and we’ve seen nothing to make us doubt the car’s mechanical or structural honesty.

The car comes with a fully stamped-up service book up to 1984, at which time the mileage was 101,000 miles.

There are written records added to the service book, the last entry being a service carried out by marque specialist Q Motors in 1999, when the mileage stood at 120,343. Clearly, it’s been used only sparingly since then.

There are plenty of bills, receipts and invoices covering more recent maintenance and repair work.

The car comes with its original books and manuals, a recent, clear HPI report and an MoT certificate – with no advisories whatsoever – that’s valid until 30.4.25.

This car is a true survivor and its excellent condition is surely a testament to a life in which it was diligently curated and cared-for by each and every one of its owners.

We think it’s really very impressive indeed.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £15,000 - £20,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.