1997 Mercedes-Benz SL500

The R129 model here is an SL500, sporting the five-litre V8 M119 engine. It's a low mileage example, only just passing 61,000 miles since it was first registered in September 1997.

Unusually, it shows as being registered in the UK in 2005, but that's because it spent much of its first decade in the Channel Islands, having been supplied to its first owner in Guernsey.

From there it headed to the mainland in Cornwall – possibly with the same owner, although this is not confirmed – earning its first full UK registration, before travelling up to Yorkshire for its next owner. It remained there until recently, when the current owner purchased it as a gift for their wife.

In fact the current owner is a retired car specialist, having sold Mercedes and Jaguar cars, and knew the car in a professional capacity from its previous owner – snapping it up as a great example of the breed when it came up for sale.

Silver is the signature colour for Mercedes and the R129 wears it well – and there's a lot of car to cover! We've gone over the body with a fine-toothed comb and it should be said that it is excellent across almost the whole vehicle.

You'll spot some typical speckling on the front valance, which could be tiny spots of road tar or small stone chips revealing the black plastic bumper beneath the paint. There's also a very small scuff on the offside corner, right on the rubbing strip. In addition there's a patch of bodywork just above the nearside rear wheel arch with a number of tiny raised bumps; this is confined to an area about two inches in diameter.

Elsewhere on the exterior there's a couple of scuffs around the locating holes for the hard top. This is unsurprising as they can be absolute scratch magnets thanks to the sharp catches on the hard top itself, but they are usually in a much poorer state than on this car.

A significant part of the SL's character is the folding fabric roof. This operates smoothly and without noise or hesitation in quite the ballet of moving parts. The fabric of the roof is completely free of damage, and it even sports the original rear plastic windows; these almost always go yellow, or get creased and cracked (or both), so it's a testament to the care taken across the previous owners.

This car also comes with the highly desirable hard top, which also features a tinted glass roof panel. It's in similarly excellent condition, with no damage to the latches or seams, although very much a two-person job to put on or take off - as we quickly discovered!

All of the vehicle glass and lighting is in excellent condition, with no cracks or fogging, and all operates as it should as far as we could ascertain.

The four wheels and the full-size spare in the boot are all also in excellent condition, with no kerbing or damage of any kind we could spot. The recent Michelin tyres all have 6 millimetre tread depth.

It's a classic SL colour combination that pairs a black leather interior – mixed with grey carpets and occasional wood flourishes – with that silver exterior.

For the most part it's in remarkable condition throughout, showing barely any signs of wear even on the highest traffic area around the driver's seat. There's a little creasing on the outboard bolster, and a small patch of chafing down where the seat cushion meets the base structure itself, but no damage, rips, tears, or stains anywhere on the material.

The same goes for the similarly plush front passenger seat, and the electric controls and seat heaters for both of the front pews all appear to work just as they should.

All that thick grey carpet throughout the car is in excellent condition, showing no signs of age or wear at all. Both front footwells sport thick, foam-backed Mercedes overmats, and there's a little perishing on the foam and some small areas of staining on the driver's side item, but both have done their job of protecting the carpet beneath.

Both door cards are in excellent condition with no damage; there's an area with some scuffing on the driver's side door, but it doesn't appear to have penetrated the surface at all and should clean away with some elbow grease.

The SL might be a relatively large convertible, but it's still a 2+2 at best, with some very small rear seats that also feature folding backrests to double as an additional storage area. It has to be said that the entire rear-seat area on this car looks unused in either capacity.

All the dashboard switches and controls look to be in full working order and are still clearly labelled, and the wood surrounds are all in great condition including on the optional steering wheel.

There's an aftermarket Sony stereo head unit – with analogue radio and cassette player – which is linked to a 10-CD changer in the boot, although this latter item appears not to be currently wired in.

Despite the extra storage space taken up by the folding fabric roof and its mechanism, the R129's boot is actually a pretty good space. There's even a little stowage area for the wind deflector – which has a small, 5mm tear on the lower half – and again the whole thing looks as if it's never seen luggage. You'll also find the full-size spare, tool kit, and jack under the boot floor.

The centrepiece of the R129 SL500 is that five-litre V8, with the unit here being the earlier and more powerful M119 engine. It's actually got a remarkable history all by itself, serving as the basis for the Le Mans-winning Sauber C9's twin-turbo engine and the heart of the GT1-class CLK-LM race car (and its road-going homologation model).

In the SL500 it has a little less stress, coming in at an easy 322hp. Only the thirsty V12 SL600 outstripped it, but for very little performance benefit. 60mph comes up in a little over six seconds, which is still brisk enough by modern standards, and you'll be riding a 354lbft wave of torque if the need to overtake arises.

Even 25 years on from leaving the factory, you'd be hard-pressed to notice the engine is even on given how smooth and quiet it is; never mind untoward noises, there's barely and sound at all until provoked on the open road.

That actually covers a lot of the car's mechanicals. The SL's automatic 'box works through the forward gears without a fuss, including the kickdown, and there's barely any sense that the outside world impacts the cabin whatsoever even on rougher roads. Steering and brakes all operate just as they ought without any squeaks or complaints. A new Bosch battery was fitted in the last few weeks.

Underneath there's little to suggest the car's age or mileage, with clean, body colour surfaces where not covered by undamaged plastic undertrays. There's no obvious signs of leaks or any other damage, and the rear suspension particularly looks very good for its age.

This SL was originally supplied new in September 1997, but not to the UK mainland. Instead its first years were spent on the Channel Island of Guernsey – which only has 260 miles of roads and a 35mph speed limit.

It arrived on the mainland in 2005, still down in the south-west, with – unsurprisingly – less than 2,000 miles a year on the clocks, and though it was used a little more over the next five years the SL still only just crested 50,000 miles by the time it moved up to its new owner in Yorkshire.

The majority of the car's history folder starts with that owner, although the car has a stamped service book showing twelve Mercedes services and three by well-respected local specialists. That history also includes a suite of MOT certificates, with the only blemishes being on the consumables front.

Its current owner acquired the SL only a few months ago as a gift for their wife, having already been familiar with this particular car through being a Mercedes specialist. However a change in circumstances means it's not going to be possible to keep it.

Mercedes designed the SL to absolutely devour miles at autobahn speeds, and with only just over 61,000 on the odometer this car is only barely past break-in.

Out on the roads it's serene, and certainly a more pleasant place to be than modern, over-wheeled fare. Even with the top down there's little noise aside from when the five-litre V8 is called into action.

It's in great condition for a car already past its 25th birthday, but as a vehicle once cared for by the current owner in a professional capacity and personally selected – by someone with experience of more than 100 SLs in their career – as a gift for their wife it perhaps shouldn't be surprising.

The new owner will be getting an excellent example of one of the great 20th century Mercedes. We think it will sell for between £19,000 - £22,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in York. 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’.