1989 Mercedes-Benz R107 500 SL with Royal Blue Leather (272)

Engine:  5.0-litre

Very highly optioned 500SL from new. Originally ordered from Belgium, but with a Japanese auction assessment in its history folder, this R107 came to the UK in 1999. The accompanying and comprehensive stack of invoices show plenty of on-going care, once in Britain, from a mixture of dealers and specialists including ourselves.

As fast, iconic and useable as its many media appearances would have you believe, the 500SL is an icon of 1980s motoring, with the substance to back it up. The care lavished on this one makes it the ideal candidate to get out and enjoy – the shoulder pads and Wayfarer sunglasses are down to you!

This SL offers all things to all enthusiasts. It’s festooned with those lovely toys that make cruising even more agreeable, it has a mileage that doesn’t discourage use and yet a condition that’ll turn the heads of show goers and concours judges alike. Not to mention 245bhp of grunt under your right foot. What’s not to love?

Paint and chrome on this 500SL remain exceptional throughout, matched by a wonderfully patinated Royal Blue leather interior, free of any signs of damage. That leather has ‘aged’ beautifully with very light creasing to show for it. All hide, wood and plastic remain bright and damage free. The carpets and door cards are as opulent as ever and we can easily imagine spending a day behind the wheel, emerging none the worse for wear. A new hood was fitted just over a decade ago and still looks fresh.

The engine bay is honest and tidy with plenty of signs of new parts and stickers to confirm an upgrade to modern non-polluting air-con gas. New soundproofing to the underside of the bonnet keeps the belt noise and fan whir to a minimum, while you soak up the more appealing bass notes of that big 5.0-litre V8.

Receipts, prior to the car landing on our shores, have sadly been lost to the sands of time, but one early bill worth noting mentions that the clocks were changed to mph in 2003 with 74,196km showing (46,103 miles). Displaying 37,347 today, that makes the total mileage a still far lower than the norm 83,450.

All MoT certificates since coming to the UK have been retained. There are various invoices for maintenance coming from Mercedes-Benz and Ford dealerships, before the car came within our sphere of influence in 2020. Highlights from those pre-SLSHOP days include that new hood in 2011 (£690) and a replacement fuel distributor, plus all eight injectors, in 2015 (£770.40).

Once we had the car through our workshops the real work to this fabulous R107 begun. In fact, since we last sold the car in 2020, the previous owner has spent nearly £20k with us, to get this SL to look and drive its best once more.

This 500SL came from the Sindelfingen factory fitted with an enviable list of extras including but not limited to; cruise control, driver airbag, a limited-slip differential, front heated seats, air-conditioning, an outside temperature gauge, plus lit vanity mirrors and a central armrest. It all adds up to the classic R107 appeal of effortless comfort on a long trip, with added driver-engagement when the mood takes you.

A substantial, yet subtle, audio upgrade has been carried out, raising in-car entertainment to modern levels. Four figures have been spent on a newer Blaupunkt Bremen that conceals its USB, SD and auxiliary inputs under a cassette-type front cover. Clever stuff that doesn’t pop that perfect 1980s aesthetic. In a similar fashion, a Pioneer subwoofer and additional speakers have been partly concealed in the rear footwells.