1983 Mercedes-Benz 500SL

This SL has had an extensive amount of work already carried out – though there’s more to do which we’ll get to in due course. The car comes fresh from a two-year restoration by a skilled home enthusiast who has poured hundreds of hours into the oily bits and bodywork. The engine and transmission were removed to carry out the (admittedly minor) bulkhead welding and the floorpans have been replaced rather than patched. The front subframe also came out when the engine did to be comprehensively refreshed with new bushes, arms and springs. The front brakes were renewed at the same time.

The front-end refresh continued with a new radiator and hoses, two new front wings (good pattern parts) and new ignition components. Headlights were refurbished with new glass and the fog lights front and rear were replaced with new. The windscreen was swapped with a brand-new item and much of the chromework was either traded for new or good secondhand alternatives – at great expense. Before it was all back together and running once again, attention turned to the cosmetics. The car was professionally repainted in its original shade of Thistle Green with the hardtop getting an accompanying going over in Cypress Green. We believe this is the original two-tone combo as this car was supplied from Mercedes-Benz 37 years ago.

The black soft-top was also replaced at the same time and according to the vendor fits well without any leaks (it wasn’t raining during our visit). In addition to the usual SL refinements this car benefits from optional rear seats and cruise control (though we were unable to test the function of the latter).

The paint on this car is excellent with a deep and even shine all around. The colour shifts from a golden hue in direct sunlight to a fetching light green in the shade. The contrasting hard-top pleasantly accompanies the body and interior. The finish to the wheels is a little less professional – certainly up close – but stand back to admire the car as a whole and they look sharp enough.

Brightwork is generally very good with just a few small areas that show signs of age. The raised section of the rear bumper on the nearside has some light scratches and the rubbing strip on the same side around the rear wing shows some creases to the rubber. The chrome on the deck lid covering the soft-top has a few small scratches, no doubt from reseating the hard-top. There are also some small marks to the door handles but this is all to be expected from a car that’s nearly 40 years old.

The offside front indicator has a two-inch crack that doesn’t appear to affect its function and the front grille has some light pitting – neither represents anything serious. The bottom of the nearside rear wing has a small area of corrosion that has been painted over with a similar section to the bottom of the driver’s door. Both are about the size of an old 50-pence. Aside from these small niggles the rest of the car looks very straight indeed.

If you’re going for a show-car finish then much of the remaining work to do on this car can be found here. It’s largely complete but could do with a thorough clean with some areas also looking a bit tired. Three control stalks for the heater are no longer in place and the button for the slider has also vanished. The vendor informs us that the matrix has been bypassed anyway, rendering the heater non-functioning. The stereo doesn’t work and the wood centre console and transmission surround have been replaced somewhat successfully, though there’s a homemade feel to this area with glue visible around the ashtray.

The carpets have been renewed but it’s a similar story here as the fit certainly isn’t up to Mercedes-Benz standard. The good news is that it’s all there, so you can easily take another crack at it if you wish. The speakers aren’t quite fitted in the door cards and these themselves are a little loose. The dashboard is almost fault free with just the driver’s side corner, where it meets the windscreen, peeling a little. One of the chrome centres to the dials has dropped off and is sitting in the bottom of the speedo. Although thoroughly usable, the interior needs some more attention to bring it up to the same condition as the exterior and the underside.

We were able to take this SL for a brief drive and found it ran well, but we did note that the engine idle was very low (under 500rpm). The car would occasionally stall while it was warming up but this improved once it got up to temperature. Work for the current MOT shows an idle speed too high, so this might have been altered to gain a test but not reset correctly. The vendor admits that the car would likely benefit from a combination of a high-speed run on the motorway and a setup from a Bosch KE-Jetronic specialist. Even in this state of tune the engine proved to run strong without a trace of overheating, despite idling for extended periods during our photoshoot.

Getting under this SL, it’s clear that the previous owner spent a lot of time making sure it was mechanically sorted and free from corrosion. The floors are straight and there’s plenty of underseal to keep the weather out. The front end shows substantial evidence of new parts, in fact it’s almost entirely new. There’s a lot to be said for the rear too as the boot floor is clearly solid and the fuel pump and filter look new. It’s a similar story with the arches too as they’re very clean and tidy.

The engine bay is fresh and leak-free with plenty of new parts evident here as well; from the distributor and battery to the radiator and HT leads. The vendor reports that the bulkhead has also had its all-important sealant replaced to protect the repair work. Fluids all look fresh and are filled to their correct levels, where they remained for the entirety of our time with the car.

There’s very little in the way of history with this car but the evidence of the work carried out certainly isn’t hard to spot. What paperwork there is proves that the next MOT isn’t due until January 2021. Other than that, there’s just a selection of old tax discs and the V5C showing nine former keepers.

Treat this car as an on-going restoration with the benefit that a lot of the hard lifting has been done and you can jump in and use it right away and you won’t be disappointed. Go to a viewing expecting a show car and you will be. It’s clear that it’s had a vast amount of expensive work already carried out, including a very nice paintjob and a substantial mechanical refresh, but there’s still a little way to go.

If it were our car we’d certainly have another go at that interior, replacing a few bits of trim along the way. If you’re handy and can do this yourself then this is an excellent opportunity to get into a good solid example of the big-engine SL without the usual premium. We estimate that the car will sell for between £12,500 and £16,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located in Sleaford; 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’.

This vehicle is not with us at The Market’s HQ, which means we have had to rely on the owner’s description of it, in conjunction with the photographs you see here, to compile the listing.

With this in mind, we would encourage potential bidders to contact the owner themselves and arrange to view the car in person, or to arrange a dedicated video call in which they can view the car virtually and ask questions.