1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SL

This particular 450SL was out-shopped in the classy and timeless colour combination of silver over a black interior, which still looks remarkably fresh to this day.

Originally collected in-person from Sindelfingen in Germany by the original owner, the car stayed in Germany for a number of months - long enough for the first two services to be carried out - before making its way to the UK during 1980, which explains the imported car marker on the HPI - nothing to worry about here!

Our vendor purchased the car as the fourth UK keeper during January 2017, and it has formed part of his collection of classic cars, seeing regular use throughout their four years together.

Driven mostly as a summer/weekend toy for enjoying the nice weather, this 450SL has always been dry-stored during the vendor’s tenure with the car, which explains its condition.

A stickler for originality, any replacement parts fitted have always had to be OE or to OE specification. Take the exhaust back box for example - cheaper, lifetime-guaranteed stainless-steel items were available, but the vendor chose to go for a genuine M-B article for the sake of originality.

In total, around £6,000 has been spent on the car since 2017, both on routine maintenance and other preventative care, such as having a full ceramic coating applied to the paintwork around 18 months ago.

Unfortunately, despite the enjoyment and love put in to this roadster, the car is now reluctantly up for sale due to needing a four-seater cabriolet, meaning one lucky bidder has the opportunity to obtain a well-sorted 450SL to enjoy the rest of the summer in.

The regime of care and attention has evidently paid dividends for this SL, as you’d be forgiven for thinking this example has half its current mileage and had been stored away from prying eyes for a number of years, such is the condition of the bodywork.

The paintwork is in excellent shape throughout, showing only a few minor commensurate wear-and-tear marks as you’d expect from a car of this age. The addition of the aforementioned ceramic coating is also an excellent sign of a fastidious owner, and it has protected the car's paintwork very well indeed.

The black bumper trim lines - particularly on the rear - are showing their age, whilst the rear nearside quarter trim is coming away from the bodywork, though this may just be a bad clip or adhesive and doesn’t look too difficult to rectify.

Looking closer, there is a patch of bubbling/flaking paint on the nearside rear bumper corner just below the rear light, whilst there are a few marks noted on the offside front bumper black trim, likely from ‘car park’ dings over the years, though these are largely hidden during daily use.

Elsewhere, the wheels are all in good, presentable condition, but would benefit from a refurbishment to fix a few minor grazes, whilst the chrome trim around the car wears a light usage patina, though this is in keeping with the car’s history and certainly doesn’t detract from the overall finish.

The hardtop, too, is present and in great shape, showing only minor marks and some light bubbling towards the lower rear pillars, though the presence of the hard top is certainly welcome, and a very desirable addition to SL’s of this era.

Settling down into the comfortable seats of the SL, you’re immediately transported back to the heady days of Mercedes-Benz in the 70’s and 80’s, where everything had a ‘quality’ feel and was engineered with pride.

As such, the cabin of this 450SL has stood the test of time very well indeed, and presents fantastically for its age.

Sure, there are a few marks around the B-pillar areas and A-pillar headlining trim, but on the whole the cabin is in excellent shape, with the wood trim being in wonderful condition, the seats are free of any rips, tears or major scuffs, and there was no noted warping or sun damage to the top of the dashboard.

There is some wear noted around the handbrake mounting point, and some minor wear-and-tear on high-traffic areas such as the inner door sills, but certainly nothing that hurts the eyes. The carpets are all in good shape throughout and the headlining on the hard top presents well. The windbreaker is also present, and looks to be in excellent condition with no noted damage or markings.

Looking underneath the car, there is nothing that particularly screams or stands out at us as any sign of impending issues. There is, of course, some surface ‘bloom’ throughout the underside of the vehicle, but nothing that looks too drastic as far as we could see in our quick inspection.

The MoT history would also serve to suggest there is nothing untoward here - whilst the most recent MoT has now expired, the car has had a ‘clean’ history stretching back until November 2015, and no noted signs of any corrosion-related issues other than some springs in 2014 which were replaced.

On the road, the car started instantly from cold, drives fantastically and shows no sign of any untoward noises, knocks or traits whilst on the move. There is, however, a known issue with hot starting - it always starts, but sometimes takes a few seconds, which the owner has diagnosed as the following:

“When the engine is hot, it can take a few seconds to restart but it always starts. I understand this is not uncommon on the 450 SL as the fuel evaporates in the fuel lines due to engine heat, and takes a few seconds to come up from the fuel tank again when restarting.”

Other than the slow-starting issue, and a significant level of interference from the radio, everything appeared to work exactly as it should on this SL, and a recent service in May 2021 by Cars with Stars means this 450SL is mechanically ready-to-go.

With the car is an impressive history folder, containing paperwork from the car’s time in Germany, as well as from its life in the UK.

There are numerous old MoT certificates, historical service invoices and other documentation and handbooks, along with two sets of keys and two tools for removing the hard top.

Digging deeper into the recent history of the car, there are numerous big-ticket and important invoices, including the following:

Recent servicing invoice for £1,157 including the fitment of a new back box and balance pipes.

A replacement heater fan resistor pack and new fuel tank in 2018.

The fitment of a rebuilt fuel regulator and new front subframe mounts, rear shock absorber and OSF upper wishbone during August 2017 at the cost of £1,372.

New brake discs and pads, handbrake switch, fuel pressure regulator, fuel pipes, mounting brackets and fuel filter in April 2017 at the cost of £1,418.

The owner’s purchase invoice from the vehicle is also included, showing that the car was purchased on 19 January 2017.

The V5 registered keepers document showing just 3 former UK keepers.

With the arrival of summer well and truly making its presence known, it is undeniably the perfect time to own a roadster, to make the most of these glorious sunny days, and wonderfully long evenings.

This 1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SL may well be just the ticket, and presents in excellent condition throughout, having evidently been cosseted and cared for throughout its lifetime, with particular evidence of the current owner having spent a significant amount of money keeping this car in such great shape.

Offering wonderfully laid-back summer motoring with an impressive turn of speed should you demand it, we estimate this 450 SL to reach in the region of £24,000 - £30,000 when the hammer drops, so be sure to get your bids in early if you want to be in with a chance of owning this wonderful SL.

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located at our HQ in Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.