1982 Mercedes-Benz 500SL

Built in January 1982, this 500SL was first registered on 10 March. If you’re not sure what 39 years ago feels or sounds like, check out Tight Fit’s “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, which was number one in the charts on that day. Whilst the music of the time may not be such a hit now, the R107 is once again top of the pops in the classic car world, and they are one of our best selling models.

This is an example of Mercedes’ range-topping flagship 500SL powered by their 4973cc V8 with a 4-speed automatic gearbox, headlamp wipers, removable hard-top and factory-optional ABS, cruise-control and air conditioning. The mighty 5-litre V8 delivered 228bhp and would be capable of a top speed of 140mph. Built for cruising comfort rather than dynamic performance it has a 90-litre petrol tank - good for over 400 miles of motorway driving.

This particular car suffered extensive damage from a dashboard fire in around 2009-10 which rendered the vehicle a Category C insurance write off but the car was repaired professionally and returned to the road. It was then subject to gradual restoration over the following 6 years.

We understand that the car’s owner at the time was the boss of a group of companies which included a car breaker and spares business, so he was able to source most of the parts for the restoration and have his mechanics do a lot of the repair work and his bodyshop staff give it a complete respray. Just two years ago, he and his wife took the SL on a driving tour to the South of France.

The current owner (its 10th) has had the car serviced but hasn’t been able to drive it a great deal due to COVID restrictions. He has a collection of cars that he needs to downsize to fund work on a new house.

The car is finished in beautiful Signal Red - certainly one of the most desirable colours for an R107 - and it comes with a colour matching hardtop (although from the factory the roof would have been painted black). With the hardtop fitted, there is a slight fouling of the passenger window on the roof rubber seal when opening the door, but this should be a relatively simple tweak to sort out.

Across the car, the paint and bodywork is very strong and solid, and the panel gaps and shut lines are as you would expect for an almost 40 year old German car - or perhaps even better. There are a couple of tiny bubbles on the offside wing above the headlamp and there’s a small area of tiny blisters on the bonnet but otherwise the paint is flawless.

The chrome bumpers, fittings and trims appear to be in good order too. So far as we can tell, there’s no longer any visible sign of the previous fire damage.

The black fabric folding roof is a relatively recent replacement, the original cloth having been destroyed in the fire. It is in good order, although a little wrinkled here and there as we imagine it hasn’t had a great deal of deployed use and it is coming unglued from the frame in a couple of places. However, it fits well and folds away neatly under the tonneau panel. The roof handles are safely stowed in the glove compartment.

The car sits on 14-inch Fuchs-made ‘Bundt’ or ‘Baroque’ forged alloys, which are better known to most as ‘Mexican Hats’. All five wheels were replaced at the end of the restoration and present in a very good condition. They are fitted with Vitour Galaxy R1 tyres dating from 2017. These tyres sport a narrow white wall stripe which, in our view, serves to accentuate the wheel size rather than looking too fancy.

It would appear from the photos taken after the car’s partial immolation that the entire black interior was swapped out for a cream leather one from a donor vehicle. Happily, the lighter colour works very well with the red exterior and is in a reasonable condition, with just the patina and wear you’d expect plus evidence of a little recolouring here and there.

The donor interior also brought with it the optional rear seats to replace the simple shelf that the car had leaving the factory. Unless you have a well below average height family though, the car is really only usable as a 2+2 for very short trips.

The dash and other trim also seems to have come from a donor car as it also bears the light wear and patina of age rather than the unnaturally pristine look that would come from brand new parts. The only thing standing out as new is the Sony CD Radio. The vendor reports that the heater fan only works on the low setting so it may need looking at.

The sand coloured carpets appear clean and intact and have protective overmats fitted. Overall, the interior is in fairly good order needing just a thorough clean and a bit of nourishment or renovation.

Under the bonnet, the engine bay is honest looking with everything tidy and apparently well looked after and has a replacement sound-deadening lining under the lid itself. The blackening on the rear of the compartment around the bulkhead is the only place we can see any after effects of the fire, although we don’t know exactly what started it or what got burned.

The undersides of the car appear largely rust free and have good coverage of underseal across floor pans and structures. There’s maybe a little roughness or bubbling along the sill seams but generally the car looks sound underneath. The vendor reports just a slight knocking on the steering when making a sharp change of direction which is possibly due to a worn CV joint.

In the boot, the carpets and linings are the same colour as the interior and appear in a clean and tidy condition. Below is a full size spare alloy fitted with the same type and age of tyre as the running wheels.

The car’s last MOT expired just last month, but it does mean that it currently doesn’t have a valid MOT. As it is only 39 years old, the car doesn’t yet qualify for historic vehicle MOT exemption, so the new owner will need to get it retested before taking to the road. It has only covered around 250 miles since the last inspection, so hopefully it shouldn’t pose a problem.

The HPI report dates the fire damage as 2010 - although invoices show remedial work done for “burnt wiring” at 94,119 miles which correlates to the MOT in June 2009. It was a Category C write off (now known as a Cat S) which meant that damage was more than just cosmetic and needed to be professionally repaired to be safe to drive.

There are copies of photographs in the file showing the extent of the fire damage to the car and the fitting of a lighter coloured donor interior with the optional rear seats which the car didn’t have originally.

A number of invoices in the history file show that the car was looked after by Tony Correale Autos of Finchampstead, Berks from the noughties onwards and includes some of the work done on repairing the fire-damaged car.

A further invoice shows that the car was given a basic oil and filter change service last June.

As previously mentioned, the R107 is a perennial favourite of the classic car world and we’ve sold dozens of them from the humbling 280s to the rumbling big V8s like this one. They have always been popular but interest, and prices, have been increasing over the last few years.

This Signal Red 500SL starts and drives well and is a very pretty and powerful car which has been returned to a wonderful condition. So we think it will fetch between £17,000 and £24,000. It is already attracting some attention here at The Market HQ and has been requested for a photoshoot by a neighbouring studio.

The Cat C marker may deter some people from bidding but if it weren’t there, a 500SL in this condition would be guided much higher. It won’t be one for the serious collectors, but for people who know a good classic car when they see one and want to have something they can cherish and have fun driving.

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’.