Yes, you’ll have to just imagine buying this Mercedes 450SL, as it’s already gone. I do that all the time, and I highly recommend it; it’s much less stressful and expensive than actually buying old cars you fall for. And in this case, it might really be for the best.
I don’t follow the old car market, so I’ll leave it to others to comment about the asking price. It did take a while to sell. But then I talked to the owner about it briefly, who lives down the street and is an occasional CC reader. He had company and didn’t go into detail, but he seemed real eager to get rid of it and made some facial gestures that underscored that. A demanding mistress, in other words. But then what do you expect when taking on a classic Benz? It may well have still had issues at this time.
The For Sale sign doesn’t specify the year, but it would have to be between 1974 and 1980, the last year for the 450. In 1981, the notoriously weak-chested 380SL replaced it, in an effort to improve the perpetually bad EPA mileage ratings of the 450 series cars.
This is the second car of his to make it to the pages of CC; there’s the official CC van in his driveway, an Olson Kurb Side. And a hot red Abarth has taken up residence as of late. Must be quite different to drive than the rather ponderous SL.
Remarkably enough, we’ve never done a proper CC on the R107 SL. And yet some cars are on their third go-around. Anybody interested to give it the love it deserves? One of you readers or contributors had a love (or hate) affair with one? I’ve got pictures of more of them.
In Orange County these don’t go extinct; Mercedes maintains a distribution infrastructure that allocates the supply based on attaining a certain percentage of gray hair. (The same system was in place when these cars were new.)
Mercedes apparently doesn’t offer that program in our area, sad to say. I hit the gray hair qualification long ago, and my SL still hasn’t shown up.
I guess I should have had one when I was 28, then… though I would be happier with a Lincoln.
I mentally buy almost every car I have ever written a CC on. I get almost all of the endorphin rush from the week or so of virtual ownership as I would get from actual ownership. Only I get none of the expense and disappointment of the actual experience. I fall into and out of love equally easily when it comes to an old car. Although a one-woman-man, I am a serial philanderer when it comes to cars. I would step out behind my Miata’s back in a heartbeat. 🙂
I have some shots of one of these but it has been in the large number of cars that don’t really speak to me. There was a time when I would force myself to take on one of those cars, but CC has progressed to the point where there are several others who have passion for the things I do not, something that serves us all well.
I feel the same. Almost with a sense of shame.
Thank god I am not alone.
Car whores unite.
We’re in 100% agreement on all counts. For a change. 🙂
Paul, I’m not sure I can do a proper CC on the R107, but I do indeed love them, based on my late father’s ownership of a 1983 380sl in black, and two 1989 560sl, one in ivory and one in Pajett red (maroon).
I can say that in the late 1980s, when dad had the 1983 380sl, it didn’t feel that weak chested. My car was a 110 hp Saab and my dad’s other cars were a 1986 MB 260e with similar horsepower to the 380 (156 vs 158) but a different torque curve, and a 1987 MB 190e 2.3 with a stick shift which had I think 130 hp.
The 380sl was a great car to drive one handed, and mash the gas pedal and even wag the tail a little bit if in gravel or any sort of loose conditions. In the 1980’s, not that many cars had 200hp, so a torquey v8 with a 4 speed auto felt pretty good, even if it only had 158 hp.
Of course the 560sl was far more fun, but we didn’t have those until the late 1990s, when many other cars were getting more and more powerful. My 1997 Nissan Maxima with 190hp for example felt like a muscle car to me!
I guess the best comparison I can make is that if the Porsche 928 was the german Corvette, the r107 was the German Mustang, minus the back seat. A nice powerful engine, long hood, short deck, slightly vague steering, and a low seating position.
Of course the 560sl was far more fun, but we didn’t have those until the late 1990s.
The new 5.5-litre V8 motor was introduced in 1985 for 1986 model year as to atone for the grave error of sending lacklustre 3.8-litre, instead of mighty 5.0-litre, V8 to the North American market.
Germans could specify 300-horsepower version if they incline.
I wouldnt want to have an americanized R107 with its polished rims and those hideously gigantic bumpers even if it came for free.
Would I like to have a pristine early Euro spec 350 SL ? Oh yes, please !
Those were a great leap forward compared to the 60´s Pagoda 230/250/280 SLs.
The first truly rock solid convertible on this planet.
Was it outdated when production stopped after 18 years back in 1989 ? Hell, yes.
Did it transcend obscurity straight into iconography? Yes again.
…”those hideously gigantic bumpers”…
It really looks like a bumper car, doesn’t it?
Truly.
I do love this color combo, it fits the style more than the majority made in bright red, silver or tan
only the early R107 had those crazy disco colours…
There’s a German-spec one here in similar condition, completely unrestored and the same colour as this car. This was always my favorite SL; since the R129, this model became a bit too ostentatious.
I came across this immaculate 1977 450SL here in Virginia a few years ago – still had the original dealer sticker on the deck lid (a detail I loathe on newer cars, but when it’s 40 years old, it looks neat).
This is one of those few cars I think looks better with wheel covers rather than alloys – any Mercedes-Benz of this era attracts me with those painted wheel covers.
This was the interior — every bit as pristine as the exterior:
They have pretty much disappeared around here in the Bay Area although once there were a lot. My father had a 74 and the picture below is exactly what he had. He got it as a company car after the President of the company said he could get whatever he wanted. Since he wasn’t seeing eye to eye with the President, but had a contract, he got the 450SL which drove the President crazy for two years.
from this angle the front bumper looks even more pathetic
just look at the space between the bumper and the body. was that really necessary?
I’ve had R107 experience; it is a memorable & historic Mercedes. I believe that it holds the record for the longest running (in production years) Mercedes passenger car design.
They are prolific. Many are tatty by now; some late 560SLs are still excellent and also very satisfying to drive. However for the same or less money a buyer can pick up a much more refined, newer and (my opinion) more attractive R129 SL500.
As Monzaman states, the original early spec Euro R107 is the paragon. I still very much like the early US ones too – those with small bumpers and classic Mercedes painted wheel covers. Those were sold in the first year (’72) as 350SLs but did in fact have the 4.5 litre V-8. The name was changed to 450SL the next year and a badge with that identity could be substituted on your year old 350SL.
Paul —
I don’t the hear the lust in your words that would be needed make it seem like this was really a car for you … but more of a wonderment of self doubt, the “..why don’t I want this car when it’s one we’re supposed to want,” kind of dilemma.
There’s far more love in your few words for the Arbarth and the Kurb Side. (Really, if that van were for sale, wouldn’t you spend more time imagining how you might actually put it to use? Maybe how it could displace that old Ford truck, or think about what a great camper it might have made in its day? Just living that agony ’til you came to your senses, that is…).
I have no lust for these; yet its predecessor Pagoda is right up near the top in my non-changing lust list.
Why? I thought they were terrific when they came out. But it was totally ruined for me when I moved to LA. I lived just a bit south of Beverly Hills, and the place was crawling with them, almost invariably driven by some older woman with Bozo-grade make-up and hair going shopping at Saks, or some guy with a comb-over and white shoes and belt. Yuck! And I’ve never gotten over it.
I respect them, but have zero lust.
…mental image of PN in white shoes and belt….
🙂 🙂 🙂
Here’s something way more deserving of anyone’s lust… even in this condition.
https://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/d/1962-peugeot-404/6439904163.html
I wonder if there’s any floorpan left….
I always heard that even the Beverly Hills maids drove SLs. They were pretty common. In southern California residential real estate it was common for garages to come with a hook and hoist to remove the SLs’ roofs.
Paul, Re: your last paragraph, I may tackle the W107 in the next few weeks. I took photos of a rather nice early model SLC a little while back. Just needs a write-up. And interior shots, if you happen to have any…
The stretched SLC version is C107, not W107.
These go by a variety of names, but I understand W107 should cover both the drop-top (R107) and the stretched coupe (C107).
Tatra, looking at your history of excellent write-ups, I really look forward to your take on these cars! I think you are correct to say that W107 should cover both the R107 and C107. As a proud owner of a 1980 Euro 380 SLC, I‘d be happy to share my knowledge and provide you with as many pictures as you want!
Oh, and one thing: isn‘t it funny how the perceived core audience of a car can ruin it forever for you? I mean, I‘d never ever want to be seen dead in a Mustang of any vintage, thank you very much 🙂
Back in the mid 1970s, the Mercedes SL and the Cadillac Seville were the cars of my dreams. I still want them, but have not acted on my want. Too afraid of the cost to keep the SL on the road. This photo was taken in 1977 on Swiss Ave in Dallas Texas.
great pic !
I had serious unrequited lust for these SL’s back in the late 70’s, and still kinda do. But as close as I could get back then was to buy a used ’74 280C coming off lease at the company I worked for, which somewhat satisfied my SL yearning, but it still wasn’t the same.
These cars were ubiquitous in Orange County in SoCal back then, I worked in the development/homebuilding industry there, and it seemed that every developer in town had one of these (that, or the 6.9 sedan that was the pinnacle of Mercedes-dom with that group). There were a few of the white belt/shoes clique that drove these, but they were the be-all end-all in my industry, every ego-driven developer trying to one up the other. I had two close friends, also in the development world, who each had one of these, a ’76 in brown and a ’78 in charcoal gray with red leather. These SL’s still pop up frequently here in Palm Springs, you see them at the local McCormick auction a lot. Fabulous little cars, I would still love to have an ’89, but I fear the undoubtedly fierce maintenance cost that would come with an almost 30-year old Benz.
“Her mind is Tiffany-twisted she got the Mercedes bends”. This is the car I imagined when I heard Hotel California. I was in high school when that song came out, it was on the radio non-stop and I grew to despise it and the Eagles but I did lust after the 450SL. Today I no longer have any interest in any SL but am strangely drawn to the SLC and SEC. Whenever one comes up for sale, I visit Mercedes forums and reading about the pitfalls of ownership cools my desire. These cars are enjoyed best in your fantasy garage.
“Her mind is Tiffany-twisted she got the Mercedes bends”. This is the car I imagined when I heard Hotel California.
Wow, I couldn’t believe it when I saw that lyric again after thirty-plus years! I used that same lyric in my short story for my creative writing class at the university.
I didn’t care for these at all when they were in production in my youth. The R129, on the other hand, appealed to me immediately–old-fashioned versus sleek and new. These 107’s have grown on me somewhat over the years, though I still like the R129 better. An early example, preferably with Euro lamps, could be very attractive.
I wholeheartedly agree with Eric that the color-keyed wheel covers are the way to go; I’ve never been a big fan of the “bottlecap” alloys that this one wears.
I couldn’t agree with you more about the color-keyed wheel covers, they were so perfectly suited to these vintage models, and easy to wash and keep the brake dust off them. My ’74 280C had them, tobacco brown to match the body color, but my ’83 300CD that I had a few years later had the “bottlecap” alloys, they were also referred to as “bundt” wheels, I recall. They were murder to keep clean, every time I washed the car I wound up with bloody knuckles, and eventually replaced them with Mercedes aftermarket smooth surface polished chrome wheels, much more user friendly.
I bought a 1977 450SL a year ago, after searching out a convertible for winter use at our Florida place. I was looking for a Jag XK-8 (had one new, liked it a lot), but found a decent, driver level 450SL, white over red at a price very similar to the subject car here.
The price seemed low, the buy possibly opportunistic so I jumped. A year in, I have had to do some work but nothing outrageous (well, except replacing worn rear wheel hubs), and I find it a very nice car. It has Euro headlights, BBS wheels and a Nardi steering wheel, and is generally a fun, fair-weather cruiser. It has neither exceeded nor failed to meet my expectations. It is what it is – a classic roadster, wimpy and primitive by today’s’ standards but exceptionally well engineered, with some quirky Germanic traits in evidence.
Car’s cost money. When I bought this, my friends said “watch repair costs”. I bought a new 2017 Mercedes SL550 Roadster back home a few months after this, and the depreciation alone on that splendid car would buy several very nice 450SL’s, so such costs are a greatly relative matter. Repair, maintenance and depreciation costs are a fact of life, no matter what you drive. If your life’s ambition is to drive as cheaply as possible, it is unlikely you are a denizen of this forum.
As the 450SL is impractical when having visitors, and to mitigate the obvious seating limitations I just recently bought the very antithesis of it – a 1976 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible. To have these two cars sitting in driveway is an exercise in polar opposites, and both are fabulous in their own way. The Caddy is supremely smooth, detached, stately and fully contented with options. It’s antediluvian 500 CID, 8.2 Liter engine develops a fairly pathetic 190 HP, the Mercedes billet-like fuel injected OHC 4.5 liter does a less pathetic 185HP, I believe. We have to remember the times when noting how pathetic these outputs are. The 450 has a crappy a/c factory system, power windows, and not much else. No power top and no power seats. The Cadillac has it all, except road feel, responsiveness and handling. New I believe the 450SL cost about $20,000 and the Caddy was about $12,000.
People seem to really like both and I drive them daily. However, I have never had the comments and response that I get in that Caddy – it is almost ridiculous. Red over white with a white top, it invites comments and remarks at almost every stop. The Benz gets lots of acknowledgement and looks, but not the comments the Caddy does.
I had similar fantasies a few years ago about this 1980 230C. Not the ultimate Mercedes (or colour), but coupes always attract me. The car was advertised as ‘local’, had allegedly only 103 000 km on the clock, and was for sale by a dealer for C$11 800.
These were and still are very common sights in the hoity toity areas of the Chicago area, especially in towns along the Fox river. I may not agree with Paul on many car things, but I seem to completely with these. I probably liked them as a little kid who inherently was drawn to convertibles, but I came to associate them too much with their demographic. I do appreciate the original German spec design more, Mercedes handled 5mph bumpers worse than anyone in the 70s, and the SL suffered them the worst, but even without it’s proportions seem off to me, compared to it’s predecessor, and I dislike the look of the hardtop this one and many others sport. I have yet to appreciate them as a period piece like I do some truly awful cars. I do kind of like the SLC though.
At home in Germany they gather momentum rather slowly on the collector’s car market and it still feels like the only driving factor is the forced promotion through the old car rags aiming for the investor type of old car guy. They have a scent of “not enough funds for a classic Porsche, eh?” about them.
As unpopular it might be: I find them hideous, eurospec or not. Weird front end, wheelbase too short and especially with that kicked up hardtop line the 1/2 view is aesthetically downright insulting. The coupé is much more bearable but I’d choose a C123 over it any day, hardware underneath doesn’t differ that much anyway.
Once of our oz readers Ashley recently bought a R107. Perhaps we could coax a COAL out of him.
I have to admit the only one of these I ever had an interest in was the yellow one driven by Stephanie Powers in Hart to Hart. And that was only if she came with the car
#TeenageCrush?
Having been the owner of a clapped-out 1964 230SL, I somewhat moderated my lust for that series of Mercedes, but not to the point where I don’t look at their godawful prices nowadays and remember my old dark blue car that had 160,000 miles on it and needed everything but still was a fun driver.
There was a very nice-looking black 560SL for sale at a winery just a mile or two toward Puget Sound from my house. The price was $7k and the mileage was around 75k iirc, so I floated the idea to my wife. In the end I’m glad I didn’t get the car, as I probably wouldn’t have the Mustang now.
I had a R129 500 SL from 1990 once.
And believe me….repair and maintenance costs of these compared to the R107s is like comparing a VW Phaeton to a Beetle.
These were common in Bellevue, WA (an affluent suburb east of Seattle) back in the 1980s. I called them BGGs, for Bellevue Grocery Getters, as they had enough room for the husband’s set of golf clubs which permanently resided in the trunk, as well as for three bags of groceries on the passenger side.
Did it have automatic climate control? That would narrow it to 1977-1980. I also concur that it likely had additional issues. 116 & 117 engines are notorious for vacuum leaks (which have plagued my M117 560SEL since day one of ownership) and they will drive you to drink trying to track them down.
That being said I still have an irrational love for the 126, 107 & the 124. In my experience though, the 124 is light years ahead of the 126 & 107 as far as drivability. I haven’t driven a 201 for quite some time but would suspect that that model is similar to the 124.
I owned a 1986 560SL for about a year…paid $1000 for it…220k miles, some rust, black with beige leather interior (rough) and both tops. It was a fun car, looked pretty good from 20 feet, and I don’t miss it one teeny tiny little bit.
Had one once, don’t ever want another. On the other hand, if I ever got the chance to buy another W116 sedan, I would, as long as it wasn’t rusty (which means it’ll never happen) and wasn’t M100 powered. The gray-market 450SE I had in the 90s was cool, although the Cypress Green paint with Saffron velour was not the ideal color scheme.
not a fan of this 72-89 convertible. don’t know why. i should like them, but i don’t. i don’t hate them… just not attracted to it. maybe it was the lack of legroom, but the strange thing is…. i love the slc version. which does have legroom. but legroom aside… the slc is the one that has be wanting it.
I’m always sad to see these in the local Pick-A-Part junkyards, most are crispy having been allowed to sit and rot in gradnpa’s driveway/back yard for ten years but once in a while a nice shiny one comes in .
I had a Graymarket 350SLC (Mercedes calls them W107, not C107) with a four speed stick and M116 engine, about 200HP IIRC and Bosch D – Jetronic fuel injection, it went pretty well for such a big heavy car .
Mine was a long used up one yet it ran fine and cost me very little to maintain .
It sucked fuel like all those old Mercedes do though, I miss it once in a while .
I believe the subject car here is is Petrol Blue .
-Nate
Everyone complains about the following when it comes to the R107 in the United States and Canada:
1 – American 5mph bumpers
2 – Sealed beam headlights
3 – Engine NOT a 560
4 – Wheels not to their liking
It’s a bit like in Wheel of Fortune when Pat Sajak gives you the letters R,S,T,L,N,E. We get it. You only want a European market 560SL. Good luck with that.
Me, I’ll enjoy my car a whole bunch more just knowing those folks won’t be asking if my car is for sale.