1989 Mercedes-Benz 420SL

The 420SL we are offering for sale is from the last year of production and has been enjoyed by seven different owners during its 32-year life.

Our seller acquired the car earlier this year with the intention of long-term ownership. With other classic cars at his disposal and living in central London, he has decided that the car will not get the use it deserves and will spend most of its time in an underground garage, which would be a shame.

However, during his brief ownership he charged his local garage with an exhaustive list of minor details he wished to have addressed and the invoices are there showing what work was carried out. The garage was told, if it needs doing, do it! And they did.

What says it all is that there were some advisories on the MoT carried out in February of this year. Our seller diligently addressed these before submitting the car for a further test last month, which of course it passed with flying colours.

There is plenty of history too from previous owners, including the original service book.

We are pleased to report that the hard top is with the car, though our seller recommends fitting a hoist in your garage to aid removal. Otherwise, it is definitely a two-man job.

White is now such a popular colour having undergone somewhat of a resurgence in recent years. It suits the SL rather well. As you may have gathered, our seller is somewhat of a perfectionist, so he had a few areas of paintwork redone and looking at the car, we are struggling to see where.

What we can tell you is that the paintworks positively shines, and we can find little to criticise.

The alloy wheels are in good order, and we suspect they have been refurbished in recent years. Michelin tyres are fitted and as we never tire of pointing out, good premium tyres are a sure-fire indicator of a careful classic car owner.

The previous owner fitted a new mohair hood in June of last year, though we do note some creasing to the plastic rear window, probably from it being stored folded away for a length of time whilst the hardtop was fitted. The two levers are present and correct, needed as they are for latching the hood.

The substantial hardtop looks in decent nick so must have been properly stored when not in use. They can be easily damaged, so care must be taken.

We would ask you to inspect the panel gaps and shut lines on the SL. Many modern manufacturers would be pleased to be able to emulate them today, but 30 + years on and still looking good is deeply impressive.

The seats and door cards look barely worn and will almost certainly be the original items. You see, it’s that Mercedes-Benz build quality again. Built to last and they did.

The car also has the rear seats fitted, but unless you propose to carry small children, the space is best though of as extra luggage capacity. They fold flat if not being used.

Lovely clear instrumentation is a joy to behold, with gauges for fuel level, oil pressure and coolant temperature. There is even an economy meter, a tad unnecessary in this type of car…

The wood veneer on the dash looks fine, the car no doubt always being garaged when not in use and kept out of bright sunshine.

There is a Sony cassette player fitted, though we would be tempted to source an original Blaupunkt unit to replace it. In the boot you will also find a 10-disc CD autochanger.

The driving position is excellent, the view down the bonnet imperious. Fire up the V8, slip the gear lever into drive and waft down the road.

The boot is a good size on the SL, ideal for shopping trips and weekends away. Tools are present and correct. There are some marks here and there, not unexpected after all these years of luggage sloshing around. There is a proper full-sized alloy spare wheel too.

At the February MoT, the tester noted some corrosion to the jacking points and a little surface corrosion. Both these issues were taken care of by our seller’s bodyshop and the photographs we include show the current state of play. All appears to now be well.

Lifting that sculptured bonnet reveals that lovely 4.2-litre V8 engine. The bay itself is neat and tidy which is always a good sign, but not overly prepared.

The SL comes with its original service book, full of lovely stamps which we like very much.

We note from the paperwork with the car that it had a full service in May of last year. Work done then included new spark plugs, new filters and replacement of fanbelts.

More recently, in fact in June of this year, our seller spent over £1,000 with his garage completing a multitude of tasks. The invoice is available for your scrutiny, but highlights include a brake fluid change, new brake callipers and new wheel bearings.

Faulty locks were eased, a misfire cured with new HT leads and the electric aerial greased so that it now rises to attention upon command.

If it needed doing, it was done, says our seller and that certainly looks to be the case.

We are big fans of the Mercedes-Benz SL and we do think this is one of the nicest R107s we have seen in a while. It presents well and has been subject to much recent expense by its last two owners.

It is a car we would have no hesitation in jumping in and heading off to the South of France for the weekend. What an appealing thought! We would avoid the motorways and instead amble along the Route Nationales, Raybans on, wind in our hair, destination St Tropez.

The SL would be right at home, and we guarantee would attract far more attention than the millionaire’s playthings which now line the streets. It’s classy and shows impeccable taste.

We can see you are tempted now, so place your bids right away.

We estimate the car will sell for between £28,500 and £34,000.

Viewing is always encouraged and as stated this car is located at our Abingdon headquarters; we are open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm and to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.