1985 Mercedes-Benz 380 SL

During its life this 1985 SL was not in the oil business but the care business, so being used as a mobility vehicle by a company director for a care home. Its MV certificate comes with the history file. However, according to the present vendor, David, it had no additional MV modifications carried out. He believes the car was kept by its first owner for nine years, after which it went to a new custodian. The paperwork really begins from this period, when the car had covered around 77,500 miles.

It was used quite used quite a bit over the next decade or so, with the mileage reaching 118,589 by 2006. But then, the SL went into storage until 2016, with only the briefest of spells out in public to pick up an MoT in 2013. It returned to the roads properly in 2016, but has been used sparingly since then; current mileage is 120,877 miles. David bought it from the gentleman who recommissioned it, and he’s maintained and improved it since then. “New brake calipers were fitted to the rear last summer, along with one at the front during the late summer,” he confirms. “There were also new copper brake lines to the rear and the front, new brake pads, and a washer bottle. An exhaust rear box and centre pipe has been fitted in the last 18 months. I recently had some Connolising to soften the front seats, and the rear parcel shelf has been recovered.” One of the biggest jobs in the past few months has been a brand new hood, which was fitted in December 2020. David also believes that the Mercedes-Benz received even more cosmetic attention some while back. “I was told the car was professionally repainted in the last four to five years, and I think the paintwork shows this.”

One notable feature of these SLs is their ability to really rack up the miles, and although this one has now recorded over 120,000 of them, David reports that it “drives very nicely, always starts first time, changes gear well and the kickdown works”.

Let’s have a closer look then…

According to the plate in the engine bay, Diamond Blue (code 355) is the exterior paint hue, and it’s a good colour on one of these handsome, very square-rigged machines, showing off the imposing lines well. We’d concur with David’s assessment that the SL has been resprayed at some point in the past few years, at least extensively if not fully. The car looks very smart overall, and the paint does appear quite fresh. The finish and shade is consistent throughout. Panel gaps are pretty good however, the boot lid & headlamps could probably do with a little tweaking if you're a perfectionist like us.

Although the exterior is in very good condition, there are a few blemishes. The paint is lifting in places at the front of the nearside rear wheel arch lip, and just ahead of that, the passenger door has slight denting along its bottom edge, in the ‘corrugated’ section. On the other side of the car, the chrome trim on the rear wing doesn’t quite meet up with its counterpart on the neighbouring door. At the rear, around where the hood clips into the rear shroud, there is some scratching evident.

All the chromework is good, although the rubber inserts of the bumpers are show a little wear and unevenness in places. Colour-coded wheeltrims are fitted, rather than alloy wheels, and they’re in reasonable order. Because they’re made of aluminium, they can bend out of shape quite easily, but that’s not happened here. There are a few scrapes from kerbing, here and there, but under normal viewing, this isn’t too noticeable. The 205/70 R14 tyres are good, with plenty of tread left and no damage to the sidewalls, although they’re not matching items or premium brands. The nearside front is a 96H Hankang NEB26, the offside front a 95T Sailun Altrezzo SH402, and both rear ones are 95V Fulda Carat Assuro items.

Inside the petrol flap, you’ll still find the original stickers for tyre pressures and to remind you to top up the oil. While they’re looking a little fragile, It’s always good to see period details such as these still in place after over 35 years.

The blue Mohair hood is manually operated, and best done with a second person to help out, so well-constructed are the soft-tops for these cars. It’s definitely not one of those flimsier contraptions found on lesser cars. Having only been fitted a few months back, it’s still in an as-new state inside and out, and fits tautly, having recently had its cabling adjusted by noted specialist The SL Shop. The car also comes with its optional hard top, colour-coded to the main body colour. It looks like it has been carefully stored over the years, as, aside from age-related imperfections, it’s holding up well.

The leather upholstery is a dark Navy Blue; so dark, in fact, that it appears almost black. The Connolising has been effective, and the seats look good, but they do show indications of age, with some marking, cracking and a few random areas where the hide has been worn away slightly. The carpets are a slightly lighter shade of blue, and they’re very well-preserved. Inevitably, the driver’s side one does show some dirt, but in other areas, they’re pretty clean. The doorcards have lasted well, albeit with some scuffing from shoes. Behind the seats, the storage area is also spruce enough; lifting its carpet reveals a sound floorpan with its silver heat insulating material still in place.

The walnut on the dash and centre console is okay, but around the edges and some of the switches, the veneer has begun to lift or gone a little milky. In general, it’s quite presentable, without any large areas of deterioration though. The padding at the top of the dash has a slight split, connecting from the base of the windscreen to the right-hand side fan grille.

The Panasonic CD/radio is a modern unit but, being finished in black, it doesn’t clash too much with the 1970s/80s environment around it. The radio does not work, the vendor says he prefers the sound of the V8! But it has a USB slot for MP3 compatibility - so you’re likely to get far better sounds than you would have got with the original Blaupunkt or Becker unit likely to have been fitted if you want to get it fixed.

The boot is carpeted with the same colour material as elsewhere in the car. There are some marks, but it’s tidy enough. Underneath the false floor is a Michelin Radial X XDX tyre, which we’d imagine could well be the original spare, and doesn’t look like it has ever seen the road. And, delving even deeper, beneath the tyre is a black-painted boot floor that looks very solid and sound.

The V8 engine is dominated by the large aluminium air cleaner casing, which hides quite a lot underneath it. As a working environment - and one packed with lots of pipework and wiring - the engine bay displays some grease and grime in areas. The cam covers and other aluminium parts also display the slightly mottled finish that almost inevitably strikes these engines with age. Everything appears as standard as when it left the factory 36 years ago, and the fluids look healthy, and are at the levels they should be.The distributor has helpfully been labelled with the lead numbers using yellow permanent ink. Seeing as there are eight of them, that’s handy - get them mixed up, and you’d otherwise spend ages sorting them out.

These engines are known for their longevity and toughness, so while nearly 121,000 miles may be a hefty total, it’s unlikely to be much of an issue here. As the owner David has noted, it starts and runs as it should, and with 215bhp on tap, it’s more than adequate for hauling two passengers, their luggage and 1960kg of metal, plastic, wood and leather around. While more boulevard cruisers than outright sports cars, these SLs have a nice turn of speed around them. And they do so with a lovely deep bass V8 soundtrack. Who needs that Panasonic radio when, with the roof back, you have that for accompaniment?

Underneath, the floorpan has been undersealed in places, but does show evidence of welding. Looking back at the MoT history, this probably dates back to its MoT of 2013, part of the way during its storage. However, all looks sound and solid now. The current MoT expires on 17 July.

The logbook shows four previous keepers. Among the paperwork is a printed list of much of the work carried out over the years, from May 1994 to December 2020, accompanied by another list of when the MoTs were carried out. The actual MoT certificates are also included. There are bills dating from 1994; prior to that is the service history from 1985 to 1995 showing attention from an official Mercedes-Benz dealership. Since then, work has been carried out by independents. In the last two years, the plugs and leads have been changed, as well as the oil and other fluids. Among the more recent invoices are one for the recent hood - it cost £540 - plus another for its fitment plus the Connolising of the leather, which came to a further £580. A new battery in summer 2018 cost £81.60. And, just so you know how everything works, there’s also the original owner’s manual as well.

We include an online HPI report run at the auction start which shows no finance outstanding and no insurance markers for theft or damage.

We’ve put an estimate of between £12,000 and £18,000 on this car. And that’s a great deal less than you could probably pay for one of these, as prime examples now go for in excess of £25,000. While this one does show signs of its age and mileage, and there are areas where it could be improved, it’s still a lot of car for the money, especially when you consider it’s one of the more potent V8 variants. With new hood, plus its original hard-top, it’s an ideal summer convertible that will also be just as usable in winter. Although with the roof off, the sun out, and the theme from Dallas on the CD player, the pretence of heading for Southfork will be all the more realistic. Even if you’re actually in South Mimms…

Inspection is always encouraged (within government guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near 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’.