1982 Mercedes-Benz 380SL

We are delighted to be able to offer this lovely 1982 Mercedes-Benz 380SL. Finished in Diamond Blue with a full black leather interior, it is so wonderfully original that it even has the original Becker radio cassette player!

First registered in Edinburgh in November 1982 by a Mr John Menzies – and if the name seems familiar it’s probably because it is the very same chap who owned the largest chain of bookshops/newsagents in the UK at the time.

It went on to have a few more owners before being sold to a Mr Ian Chrystal of Fife. He bought it with just 43,000 miles on the clock and went on to keep it for the next 20 years. The car had a full Mercedes-Benz service history at the time he bought it, but he passed its care on to his own mechanics, who serviced and repaired it from that time on.

Sadly, Mr Chrystal died in 2009 and the car was sold to a famous Scottish artist called Jack Vettriano. Yes, that Jack Vettriano. Mr Vettriano is clearly a man of impeccable taste as he passed it on to Prestige Car Bodies, the well-regarded Scottish body shop and garage, to have them restore the car’s bodywork. (Prestige Car Bodies, tel: 01875 818912, have confirmed to the vendor that they are happy to answer questions on the work they did).

The car’s mileage was 99,500 at this point. The artist owner took delivery of his newly refurbished Mercedes, drove it for 20 miles - and then put it under a car cover in dry storage and never drove it again…

Attracted by its condition, the present owner has only driven it for around 800 miles since purchasing it. The registration YWS 996 shown is included in the sale.

The Diamond Blue bodywork is in fine condition following its six-month restoration, during which the car was completely stripped down before being re-built with new wings and fully resprayed, work that included fettling and painting the car’s removeable hard-top. The car was then painstakingly reassembled, with plenty of new chromework to replace the aging originals. It looks stunning, which it has every right to as the vendor believes that the work cost around £9,000.

The manager of Prestige Car Bodies knows the car well and has confirmed the size of the bill. There isn’t a copy of this at the moment but he did say that he could probably dig it out - and they do have photographic evidence of the restoration, which the new owner would want to ask them for.

The work has left the SL looking fabulous, with shiny, glossy paintwork and tight, even panel gaps.

The folding fabric roof is in fine condition too, being free of rips and tears although it is lifting a little in the middle of the bottom edge near the boot lid. However, this appears to be merely cosmetic and the roof still sits evenly and seals tightly against both wind and rain. The rear three-quarter plastic windows are a little milky, but could be restored; they’re still clear and the roof itself has many years life left in it.

The removeable hardtop was resprayed when the rest of the car’s bodywork was restored and looks to have been hardly used, so is still in fabulous condition.

The alloy wheels are in good condition, being free of any electrolytic corrosion and any signs of kerbing or other damage.

There doesn’t look to be anything for the new owner to do here other than to sort out a recalcitrant electric aerial. Given how good the car is, we would strongly encourage potential bidders to take a look at the car for themselves in order to better appreciate those fine lines and beautiful paintwork!

The black leather upholstery is in very good condition, still being supple and supportive. There appears to be no damage whatsoever, although the leather has started to crack a little and lose some of its colour. This is by no means bad, but a prudent owner would want to catch it now before it gets any worse. This needn’t be a long-winded or expensive job, and would be well within the capabilities of a competent DIYer.

The wood veneer trim is in good condition, as are the carpets (which are protected by Mercedes runner over-mats) and door trims.

Faults appear to be limited to the nearside rear trim card, which has some wear to it near the handle, and the offside door trim, which has a piece of loose material.

The Mercedes was serviced at 99,500 miles at the same time as it had its bodywork restored. The current owner has also had the steering laser-aligned, tyres balanced and the gearbox oil changed.

The car is taxed and MOT'd until May 2019 with 2 advisories; a slight leak to the power steering system and a binding rear brake, the latter may be resolved with a little usage.

Mr Chrystal had the car overhauled in preparation for a European trip in 2002 and there are two Mercedes invoices for this work that total almost £3000. The mileage at this time was 97,153 and the owner covered around 1500 miles around Europe in it, after which the Mercedes was garaged and barely used prior to his death

With this in mind, we’d recommend having the car serviced on the grounds of time, rather than mileage. The radiator also looks like it’s leaking, so that might need changing too. Whilst there, the underbonnet area itself is untidy and could do with valeting and tidying up to bring it up to the same high standard as the rest of the vehicle.

The car has just been through a Health Check with John Haynes Mercedes, the paperwork for this is awaited (at time of writing). As part of this check, the bulkhead was inspected and verified as strong and not in need of further works. 

The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever and confirms the car’s low mileage. The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it.

The car comes with its original owner’s wallet and associated paperwork including a stamped service history book, an instruction manual for the radio, the owner’s manual, and a worldwide service guide as well as a V5 registration document.

It still has its two keys, both of which fit all the locks.

The documents section of the Gallery includes two documents to show the previous owner, plus confirmation from Mr Vettriano's company that the car was previously owned by him. 

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of the paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a high standard.

This is a solid, honest Mercedes-Benz R107 380SL that’s had a considerable amount spent on it in recent years, leaving it fully fettled and ready to serve its new owner for another four decades. It’s looking superb, and a few pounds invested in sorting out the faded leather seats and underbonnet area would improve both its looks and value at negligible cost.

And while we could understand some folk not getting too excited about Mr. Menzies owning the car, few could claim that Jack Vettriano’s contributions – both financial and in terms of its provenance – can be ignored.

Yet famous owners, with a few rare exceptions like Princess Diana or Steve McQueen, tend not to affect the price of a car too much; so, while having such a well-know and widely respected artist as a previous owner is certainly a great talking point – and would make the car irresistible to collectors of his work – we aren’t going to allow it to affect the valuation too much.

So, we think this car will sell for between £14,000 and £18,000, which is remarkable value given the current market. The price of good Mercedes R107s has been steadily rising in recent years and we think they’re always going to provide a safe place to put your money.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen in Newhaven, East Sussex; 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’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.