1988 Mercedes-Benz 420SL

Built at the end of June 1988 and first registered on 1 August by Maloney & Rhodes Mercedes-Benz of Cambridge, this 420SL was among the last of the R107 line and one of only several hundred right hand drive 420s built. It was specified with optional rear seats and the 4G-Tronic automatic gearbox - considered one of the most reliable transmissions that Mercedes-Benz ever built.

The SL was a company car for the first lady keeper Mrs Daniels who, although she barely drove it, then bought it from the company before selling to a Mr Hing, owner of a family opticians business in Shefford Bedfordshire, in April 1992. He was responsible for putting most of the miles on the car before taking it off the road in 2008. In November 2014, it was then recovered and recommissioned and shortly after put up for sale.

Its fourth owner, our vendor from the Isle of Wight, acquired the car in June 2015. Having received a small inheritance, he was looking for something to buy to avoid his windfall disappearing into general household funds. He’s not particularly a car person but thought that if he could find an original, unmolested classic, it would hopefully retain its value if not appreciate slightly. We think he bought very well and he’s had to spend very little on the car since.

Now, nearly six years later with only around 1,000 miles added, he has moved house and no longer has anywhere to store the car under cover.

The metallic finish on this SL is called Smoke Silver, which has a slight brown tinge to it and is a nice alternative to the neutral silver and a little less bling than Champagne. The condition of the paint and bodywork is very strong and there are very few flaws or blemishes discernible around the car. Perhaps the only area of note is the cracking in the stone chip coating on the lower rear valance.

Five years ago, the vendor bought replacement exterior rubber side strips but only fitted the offside ones (the others are in the boot awaiting fitment). They are consequently in good condition, although there is a nick at the rear offside corner. The windscreen was replaced with a genuine MB item in 2015 along with new door seals.

Each R107 SL originally came with both a hard top - usually body coloured - and a folding fabric hood in a complementary colour. With the hard top fitted, the R107 is as good as a coupe but needs two strong people to safely remove it and store it carefully away.

With such cars mostly garaged and only used in good weather, you therefore don’t often see the hard top used, so many will be lost or in poor condition. This car still has both options and they are in pretty good order. The hard top comes with its original stand and a dust cover to protect it when not in use.

The folding roof is a very dark brown fabric (as originally specified to go with the brown-tinged silver exterior paint) and it fits, operates and folds away as it should with just a small area of wear on the offside edge.

The car sits on its original 15-inch ‘flat-face’ 15-hole alloys, which are in a largely good condition with just one or two blemishes in the coating on a couple of the wheels. All four were fitted with new Firestone Roadhawk tyres in 2019, and they’ve barely been used since.

We have noted a small patch of surface corrosion appearing on the rear corner of the o/s sill, just in front of the rear wheel. It is currently no bigger than a thumbnail but should be looked at if the car is to be used regularly in all weathers. 

The interior is original and very strong too, trimmed in a cream beige with perforated leather seat facings. There is slight patina and wear across the upholstery and trim, as you would expect from an older car, but nothing like you see on most examples of the type.

The black vinyl dashtop and instrument binnacle looks in good order and the wood trims are in excellent condition with no apparent cracking. The carpets and fitted floor mats appear clean and intact and, again, original to the car.

Although the original purchaser specified the rear seats, the reality is that unless everyone on board has short legs, the car is a 2+2 for brief journeys only.

The interior of this SL is a lovely place to be and the only thing that looks at all out of keeping is the Blaupunkt Lausanne CD Radio which is an obviously modern addition. Happily, the original Blaupunkt Melbourne Cassette Radio has been retained, should the new owner wish to restore the period look. The electric aerial was replaced in 2016 and all works as it should.

Under the bonnet, the engine bay could be described as honest. By that we mean that it is tidy but carries the dirt and patina of age rather than having been detailed to clean up or cover up any issues. However, nothing seems amiss and it has clearly been looked after as everything runs as it should.

The undersides of the car appear fairly tidy and intact and whilst there are areas of corrosion and surface rust across suspension components and various brackets and fixings, there’s nothing that was cause for any concern at the recent MOT. The exhaust looks in good order and is a mostly stainless steel system (aft of the downpipes) which was fitted in 2005.

Inside the boot, the cream carpet and linings are remarkably clean for their age and in good condition. Underneath, is a full-size spare alloy wheel fitted with an unused Continental tyre. Also present are the original jack, warning triangle, tool roll, cover and first aid kit as well as a mesh wind-deflector.

The car has a current MOT valid until February 2022, which it passed first time with no advisories. Every single previous MOT certificate for the car back to 1991 has been retained in the history file which shows annual testing to 2008 and then roughly every other year since 2014. It also validates the car’s current low mileage of 55,436.

Also with the car are the original Owner’s Manuals, a period MB directory and service brochure and the original Maintenance Booklet which contains a full set of service stamps for recommended mileage intervals as follows:

Jul 1988 - PDI - Maloney & Rhodes Cambridge

Sep 1988 - 2,033 miles - Maloney & Rhodes Cambridge

Nov 1992 - 10,846 - Maloney & Rhodes Cambridge

Apr 1996 - 19,446 - Mercedes Cambridge

Jan 1999 - 27,181 - Mercedes Bedford

Feb 2000 - 32,189 - Oakwood Shefford

Jan 2001 - 38547 - Oakwood Shefford

Jun 2001 - 41179 - Oakwood Shefford

May 2003 - 46915 - Oakwood Shefford

Jun 2008 - 54,335 - Oakwood Shefford

Although the booklet now declares “Next Service Due 60,000 miles” - another full service was carried out along with an MOT at 54,360 miles in Nov 2014, by David Watts Motors of Shefford, after the car came out of six years being tucked away in a garage.

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

The R107 Mercedes-Benz SL celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and is a stalwart of the classic car world for many reasons, not least its durability and reliability. It’s also relatively cheap and easy to service and maintain, and the fact that it is also effortlessly elegant doesn’t harm its cause either.

We’ve sold countless R107 models from 280SL to 500SL over the last few years but this is the first 420SL to pass through our hands; a testament to their relative rarity with fewer than 600 currently registered in the UK.

This example is highly original and unmolested, has a rock solid low mileage history and is in a super condition. It starts and runs well with a healthy induction roar as the V8 gulps air through a large diameter intake. It drives well too, in fact the vendor drove it up from the Isle of Wight himself to deliver it to The Market HQ and it performed faultlessly - both driver and car “thoroughly enjoyed it”!

Asking prices of R107s vary hugely, from several thousand for a bit of a project up to staggeringly high five-figure sums, and are dependent on many factors including the specific model and colour as well as the usual things like mileage, history and condition. We think this one will fetch between £25,000 and £35,000 - which rightly puts it in the “well above average” bracket as an uncommon R107.

Viewing is always encouraged (within Govt. 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’.