1981 Mercedes-Benz 500SL

This car was first registered on 24th December 1981 - which Sherlock Holmes would deduce makes it some lucky person’s Christmas present - although we understand it was registered in the owners’ company name before they sold up and bought it off the company to use as a private car. Nearly 20 years later they moved to southern Spain taking the car with them.

Several years on from that a man travelling through Marbella on a bicycle had a puncture and rather than repair it, bought the SL from them to drive home to Kent. He then stored and maintained the car for around 10 years before selling to the current owner. It is therefore a four-owner car, although only 3 different people have been keepers of it, and it has covered a relatively low 82,871 miles since new.

This 500SL is an example of Mercedes’ range-topping flagship model powered by a 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.

The vendor, a car enthusiast and serial owner of sporty German engineering, bought the SL in 2017 as a summertime weekend open-top toy but found himself also using it for the short daily commute on dry warm days. With other Stuttgart metalwork to drive and enjoy this summer (travel restrictions notwithstanding), he’s now selling to free up the garage space.

Although the car’s bodywork is straight and true and looks good when stood back, it’s fair to say the rare Pastellgrau (Pastel Grey) paintwork is not this car’s strongest feature. It is a car you could easily live with, giving localised treatment to the handful of defects outlined below and shown in the detailed photographs, but eventually you’d want to address them properly.

There are a few areas where the paint is starting to bubble; most noticeably on both front bonnet corners. There are signs of an old, poor, filler repair job on the near side rear wing between the bumper and tail lights. Several scuffs and scratches show across the bodywork, such as the wheel arch rims. Small spots of surface rust appear here and there, notably under the rear offside bumper extension and on the lower left lip of the boot lid.

In terms of the paint coating itself, there are different degrees of orange peel effect on some panels and part panels which suggests the bodywork has had several separate repairs and localised resprays over the years.

On a more positive note, the chrome trim and other brightwork around the car all appear in good order with very little pitting or scratching.

You may wish to look at some of these issues in more detail before making a decision to bid but we know that you will be limiting your social exposure over the coming days and weeks, so please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on. Or, even better, contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call, where you can direct us in real-time.

The car comes with its original body-coloured hardtop which is in a reasonably good condition, as well as a recent replacement blue fabric folding roof which is also in good order. At some point in its past, the car was fitted with an aftermarket electro-hydraulic system to raise and lower the fabric roof automatically but this is currently disconnected and non-functioning. This US-designed system was appraised by Mercedes-Benz and although it inspired the power roof on the R129 successor it was never factory fitted to the R107.

The original 14-inch “Mexican hat” alloy wheels are sound but showing a few scuffs and scrapes, as you would expect of an unrestored car of this age. They are fitted with matching Torque T021 tyres dating from 2012 but in reasonable order and showing a good tread depth.

The original blue vinyl and checked cloth interior is very smart and in a very good condition, with just a couple of the slightest cracks visible on top of the instrument binnacle. The seats are comfortable, carpets clean and tidy, under floors rust free, and all trims intact and well presented. The dash and centre console wood-veneered panels, so often found cracked and splitting, were recently repaired by Classical Dash of Stokenchurch. The door seals and hood stowage compartment seal were also recently replaced.

The stereo is not original but given how smooth and quiet the car runs, even with the roof down, you can really enjoy the high-spec Kenwood CD-radio whilst wafting along country roads. When switched off, the face plate rotates to hide the stereo and protect the controls.

Whilst the air conditioning system has been degassed and is yet to be converted to use CFC-free refrigerant, other factory-fitted options such as cruise-control, headlamp wipers and powered windows are all functioning correctly.

The manual hood mechanism operates nicely and the fabric hood folds away flat underneath the tonneau panel. Once the folding roof is stowed the hard top can be carefully slotted into place - possible when done solo but safer and easier with two people. The headlining is in good, clean condition although part of the edging trim just needs a dab of contact adhesive where it has come away from the frame.

There is very little that a new owner will want or need to do to the inside of this car.

The engine bay is tidy and you can see down to the chassis legs which are painted body colour but not at all rusty, all looks strong. This was recently confirmed by marque specialists Silchester Garage who report that the bulkhead is free from rust - a common issue with the model.

The underside of the bonnet itself has all the sound deadening material intact and is in reasonable order with just a few areas of surface rust appearing. Hinges, catches and landing panels are all sound.

The undersides and wheel arches of this car appear very strong with good underseal. It’s unlikely there’s ever been an issue with corrosion to structural members, floor pan or suspension components - in this regard the 500SL presents very well with only the expected light surface rust in places. The exhaust back box is new and therefore in good order.

In the boot, the carpets and linings present very well for this age of car - the multi-changer for the Kenwood CD player is mounted to the side, next to the powered-hood control box (currently disconnected) and the motor for the retractable aerial, which is fully working. A panel opposite reveals stowage for a jack and under the floor panel there is a full sized “Mexican hat” spare wheel with an older but serviceable Pirelli tyre. It sits in a well which is showing a small patch of surface rust but nothing of real significance. The boot lid itself and all hinges and catches show in a good condition.

The 500 SL has an MOT valid until July 2020 and being 38 years and 4 months old it will achieve classic status and MOT exemption by Christmas Day next year. The available online MOT history shows that very few miles have been covered over the last 12 years but a valid MOT has been maintained.

The car spent the first 19-20 years of its life in Buckinghamshire where it did 70k of its 83k mileage and then it was taken to the Marbella area in southern Spain for a further 5-7 years. On return it was dry-stored in Kent for around 10 years with regular but limited running, which would explain the relatively low mileage. In recent ownership, the car has had all necessary mechanical and sundry work done by SL specialists at Silchester Garage (see documentation gallery), has been garaged when not in use and only taken out on dry days.

As well as having remedial work done by SL specialists in 2018, the current owner has maintained the full Mercedes-Benz service record.

The car comes with two sets of keys, original owner’s manual and service booklet.

We’re looking after this 500SL during the auction and have been able to undertake a short test drive. We are happy to report that the car drives very well with an effortless power delivery from the engine and a smooth automatic gear change. The brakes are very good and the steering sharp.

We’ve sold many R107 models from 280SL to 500SL over the last few years and despite the paintwork issues, we would still expect this rare-coloured, well-equipped car to reach somewhere between £10,500 and £16,000.

This is a powerful car with strong mechanicals, a good interior and solid undersides. If a new owner were to find themselves stuck at home with time on their hands (who’d have thought it), the bodywork would benefit from a good rub down and a date with a work-hungry professional spray booth. This would bring the exterior up to the same standard as the rest of the car and give them a convertible cruiser that anyone would be proud to own.

This particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon. 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, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.