1991 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL

Offered until 1993, the 300SL-24 is powered by the 24-valve M104 inline-six petrol engine that offers the driver 228bhp and 200ft.lbs of torque, enough to see the car hit 62mph in 8.4 seconds on its way to a top speed of 149mph. 

Classics World suggests its presence should make this one worth an extra £1,000 compared to a similar model without the benefit of this engine, and no lesser classic car authority than Vicky Parrott owns one, which tells you all you need to know about how well they drive.

‘SUI 1566’ is finished in Smoky Silver, paint code 702, a colour so rare the seller has only ever seen three and he notices this kind of thing because he’s a multi award-winning creative director and artist who’s worked with firms such as Jaguar, Ferrari, and Aston Martin; if you remember the matt-white Morning Frost Vantage from its launch, then you’ll have admired his work too.

He’s also been exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, been named GQ’s Most Stylish Man, and awarded Menswear Designer of the Year more than once, so when he set his heart on buying an R129, he wasn’t going to compromise on the colour.

He found this one in October 2017 and has covered only a thousand or so miles since. Stylish miles, it must be said, but given how little use it’s had, he’s reluctantly decided it’s time to let it go to a new owner.

The panel alignment is impressive, but then we are talking about an R129 here and unless they’ve been written off multiple times – and this one hasn’t – they are better screwed together than just about anything else in their class.

It has developed a bit of a patina over the years, which we’ll detail later, but it still presents very well overall with no significant dents nor any ripples along the flanks: If you’re looking for the TL:DR, think Old Money rather than nouveau riche. 

The Smoky Silver colour, which appears more gold than silver depending on how the light falls, has got a healthy shine to it too, and the combination of straight panels and good paint continues to impress as you walk up to it. 

The black fabric roof is so cleverly engineered that it genuinely offers the best of both worlds: the hush and weatherproofing of a coupé, with the wind-in-the-hair fun of a convertible. This one is in a decent shape too, with only minor wear and the odd small hole. The stitching is generally pretty good too, and has only eased apart in a couple of places above the rear quarterlights. The three plastic rear windows are undamaged and clear, but the inner headlining is grubby with slight damage to the rear three-quarter area.

It also comes with the optional hardtop, which ratchets the civility up another couple of notches. This one too is in a good condition, including the inner headlining, which is bright and free of obvious wear ‘n’ tear. 

However, for most people the softtop is more than enough, even in winter, so the presence of a hardtop helps ensure future residuals rather than being a ‘must have’ item because your life will be miserable without it.

The seller is an exception to this rule, explaining that he prefers the SL’s lines with the hardtop fitted. We had a lively conversation in the office about this – and concluded he may well be right.

Moving on, the 16-inch alloy wheels have a few light nibbles around their edge but most of these have been touched up and they aren’t terribly noticeable. Tyres are matching 225/55R16 Runway Enduro, with the front ones having been made in 2021 and the rears in 2017. All have good tread. 

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. 

As for flaws, if we start at the front, we see a few stonechips to the grille and the front numberplate is incorrectly spaced. Both headlamps have rust spots on their reflectors, but this is most definitely a job for Future You. 

Moving around to the nearside there are scratches through the lower door trim and inside the door shut near the striker, plus a scuff to the nearside rear wing. There’s also a chip above the taillight and the aerial is loose. 

The tailgate has a scratch above the ‘300’ badge, and the offside rear wing has a dent near the door plus chips and scratches above the rear light unit. The offside sill has peeling paint, and the offside rear jacking point cover is the wrong colour. The door has chips too, the front wing has a scratch above the wheel, and the paint is peeling inside the wheelarch. The door mirror is also scratched and the hardtop has a scratch above the drivers door.

R129 cabins are as well engineered and durable as the coachwork, so the fact this one still looks this good after 35 years is little surprise.

For a start, the front seats are still springy and resilient. Ultra comfortable, even for day-long touring, the black leather might have eased just a little, but the only other signs of age are creases and light cracks plus what looks like a historic repair to the outer edge of the driver’s backrest. They’re heated too, and electrically adjustable.

The matching door cards are similarly impressive, as are the rear quarter panels. The carpets are also in fine fettle with no holes or other damage.

The rear seats don’t look like they’ve seen much use at all, with almost flawless black leather and bright-red seatbelt buckles. In fact, given their carpeted rear is a little more worn than the leather face material, we suspect they’ve spent much of their life folded down to accommodate luggage rather than people.

The steering wheel might be vast and a little on the utilitarian side, but it too has survived a third of a century with only slight colour loss to its rim.

The walnut veneer is less impressive, but even here it is age-related wear rather than damage. The switches still boast nicely legible white lettering, the instruments are some of the most easily assimilated ever designed, and the glovebox lid has the ‘cupholders’ so many of us remember from childhood picnics.

The headunit is a rather nice Becker Europa, and the centre console contains seven small drawers, each of which will keep a cassette tape stored safely.

Speaking of storage, the boot is a good size and still features the hazard warning triangle in the boot lid, meaning it’s deployed as soon as you pop it open. The carpet trim is in good shape too, and its contents include the original Mercedes’ first aid kit, a full-size spare alloy wheel and Michelin tyre, and a tool kit. 

There are a few minor issues to sort out including the driver’s seat, which only moves backwards. The works but does fall out of the ignition switch, and the small digital display in the instrument binnacle is very slightly obscured.

Recent work includes new sparkplugs in March 2026 at a cost of £213, an oil service and MoT (October 2025 and £320), miscellaneous pre-MoT repairs including a light control unit and an oil filter housing (October 2024 and £710), a new dipstick (October 2023 and £86), an oil service and new HT leads and sparkplugs (November 2022 and £372), an oil service and new sparkplugs and a fuel filter (December 2021 and £466), an oil service (September 2020 and £245), and much more earlier work including the following stamps in the service history booklet:

• 22.03.1991 – pre-delivery inspection by Cragside Ltd
• 09.04.1991 and 670 miles – service by Cragside Ltd
• 27.02.1992 and 6,001 miles – service by Cragside Ltd
• 29.07.1993 and 12,566 miles – service by Caffyns of Dorchester
• 12.05.1994 and 17,745 miles – service by Caffyns of Dorchester
• 10.03.1995 and 23,230 miles – service by Connelly’s Ltd
• 27.09.1995 and 30,056 miles – service by Connelly’s Ltd
• 29.04.1996 and 36,012 miles – service by Connelly’s Ltd
• 06.12.1996 and 42,087 miles – service by Connelly’s Ltd
• 20.10.1997 and 48,308 miles – service by Connelly’s Ltd
• 08.09.1998 and 53,984 miles – service by Connelly’s Ltd
• 04.02.1999 and 69,093 miles – service by Mercedes-Benz of Harrow
• 06.08.2000 and 69,910 miles – de-commission service by Mercedes-Benz of Harrow
• 01.06.2002 and 69,915 miles – re-commission service by Mercedes-Benz of Harrow
• 10.04.2003 and 73,915 miles – service by Mercedes-Benz of Harrow
• 27.11.2016 and 88,102 miles – service by Surrey Motor Group including new HT leads, a rotor arm, and a distributor cap
• 03.10.2017 and 88,496 miles – service by Ringwood Autocentre
• 07.08.2018 and 88,729 miles – service by Lusardi Motors
• 28.09.2020 and 88,986 miles – service by Lusardi Motors
• 12.11.2022 and 89,168 miles – service by Mick’s Body Shop

Our test drive went well, and we didn’t discover anything amiss other than some of the air ducting has been repaired with gaffer tape, and the strut top bushes have perished. As you can see from the video the roof does work, how ever occasionally you do need to fiddle with the switch to get it to move, we also note that the wipers do not operate.

As the video shows, the straight-six engine fires into life readily, idles solidly, and revs with the customary smoothness you only find with this engine layout. It shows very good oil pressure too, and the exhaust note meets the R129’s original design brief of being purposeful but refined.

The engine bay might be a bit grubby and have a few rusty fasteners but if you can see past that you’ll find it’s in a decent condition with no obvious damage or rust. 

It’s the same underneath; no MoT tester has ever mentioned structural corrosion, which should be your main worry, and while there are a few scratches on the underside of the front valance, these are superficial and can’t be seen unless you’re lying on your back. 

Further encouraging news is the SL’s MoT certificate, which expires in October 2026, was issued with no advisories. 

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear bar a marker for a change of colour from silver to gold. This is almost certainly a SNAFU as the paint looks original and the fact it’s called Smoky Silver but appears gold has probably confused someone early in its life. 

The history file includes the Mercedes-Benz wallet and book pack, the pre-delivery checklist, and a wealth of expired MoT certificates.

It also contains the invoices for the work we reference above as well as many older bills and receipts.

The R129 is as pretty as it is tough – and that’s worth something in today’s troubled times; apocalypse-ready vehicles don’t have to be finished in camouflage green and fitted with four-wheel-drive because only two things will survive in a post-nuclear world: cockroaches and Mercedes-Benz cars of the late eighties and nineties.

This one, for example, with all its many benefits, has an estimate of between £6,000 and £9,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) 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’.