1986 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL

Finished in Signal Red with brown folding roof and a Saffron Sport check interior, ‘C783 DDE’ is a very nicely presented example of the ever-popular Mercedes-Benz 300SL.

With just four previous keepers and an impressive service history, it’s been in the seller’s care since 2020. He’s only driven it around 2,000 miles in the past five years, keeping it in a climate-controlled garage.

Of course it comes with a matching Signal Red hard-top, and the four-speed automatic gearbox and anti-lock braking system make it a supremely usable modern classic that’s still able to run with modern motorcars, albeit in considerably more style than most.

Factor in historically strong residuals and a massive support network and the R107 is a genuine, cheap-to-run alternative to the PCP-financed sportscar you’ve been eyeing up. 
 

Red is notorious for fading in the sun, often turning a chalky pink in an alarmingly short time. This one though is still bright and vibrant, which offers an immediate hint at the care it has received.

This impression is further reinforced by tight and consistent shutlines; taken alongside the clear HPI report, a level stance, and scuff-free corners, we’d suggest this is not a car with a murky past.

Because it really does look rather splendid, doesn’t it? The Signal Red paintwork has a very good shine to it, and while there are a some light ‘love marks’ from enthusiastic polishing over the years, no colour is easier to machine-polish and buff than red.

The depth and solidity of that shine is underlined by glistening and straight brightwork. The bumpers are nice and straight too, and the chrome is free of serious tarnishing, scratches, and pitting.

The black rubber trim is also in good shape being largely free of damage (the only scuff we can see is to the nearside front corner) and still nice and pliable.

Speaking of rubber, the four 205/65R15 Pirelli Cinturato P1 tyres, which were fitted in May 2020, were put onto original equipment 15-inch alloy wheels. The tyres have good tread left on them still while the wheels are free of major scuffs, scrapes, and other kerbing damage.

Plus, we will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly.

The “FOLDING TOP FABRIC 8023 DARK BROWN” was thought to be the original when the seller bought it. If true, it’s testament to the dedicated curation it has received over the years as it is still in a remarkable condition with no rips, holes, or other damage; even the rear plastic window remaining free of yellowing, clouding, and cracks.

It rises and falls easily too, and tucks itself away under an very nicely preserved Signal Red cover.

The body-coloured hard-top is equally impressive. Like the soft-top, we doubt it’s seen much use given its near-new condition. As you can see, it fits as well as they always do, and the paintwork gleams with the same impressive lustre as the rest of the panels. The three glass screens are unmarked too, and the headlining is clean, taut, and free of damage.

The badges are as impressive as everything else, the lamp units are free of cracks and other damage, the door and boot apertures are shiny and free of rubbing marks, the windscreen frame is in an unusually good condition, and even the vulnerable sill protectors have survived uncommonly well.

In fact, the only thing we can mention for the new owner to do is, perhaps, fit a more period-appropriate style of numberplate.
 

The modernity continues inside with factory-fitted central locking and electric windows and door mirrors  in addition to an aftermarket Parrot Bluetooth system and a Pioneer radio/CD player. Reversing sensors have also been very neatly fitted between the rear lights and the bumper.

Options include 565 and 583, the factory codes for a rear bench seat with armrest, plus trim code 074, or “Cloth Light Brown”, which sounds like a description the army would use.

More colloquially known as Saffron Sport check, the interior is Mercedes-Benz’s take on the traditional wood ‘n’ leather – and what some of the materials lack in authenticity, they more than make up for in durability as the interior is more reminiscent of a car that’s sneaking up on its fourteenth birthday than its fortieth.

Because not only are the seats still firm and free of cracks and holes, even things like the top of the dashboard, which is vulnerable to sun damage, is in fine order.

It’s the same story with the door cards, rear quarter trim, carpets, and veneer trim; all are, like some politicians, unimpeachable. The inner headlining is nice and clean too, and the lettering on the switches and controls is bright white.

The boot is very good too, and lifting the good mats shows, just like the front footwells, only solid metal underneath. There’s a (very good) full-size spare wheel too, plus a tool kit and a first aid kit.

A fire extinguisher and some rather nice overmats bolster the specification.

The seller tells that the nearside electric window sometimes sticks, but a gentle nudge is all that’s needed to get it sliding up and down again.

Everything else works as it should.

Cosmetically, the only ‘fault’ we can see is what some might think is an inappropriately modern headunit, which is, like the numberplates, very much a #firstworldproblem
 

The 300SL had the best possible start to life, and while the servicing slowed down a little by the mid-nineties, so did the rate at which the miles were accrued:

•    28.05.1986 and 1,041 miles – service by Callanders Eng (Aberdeen)
•    23.10.1986 and 6,157 miles – service by Callanders Eng (Aberdeen)
•    06.03.1987 and 13,052 miles – service by Callanders Eng (Aberdeen)
•    25.03.1988 and 18,361 miles – service by Mill Garages Northeast
•    18.04.1990 and 24,106 miles – service by Mill Garages Northeast
•    25.04.1991 and 30,262 miles – service by Mill Garages Northeast
•    30.09.1992 and 35,743 miles – service by Mill Garages Northeast
•    20.03.1997 and 42,659 miles – service by Mill Garages Northeast
•    00.05.2004 and 45,664 miles – service by Simon J. Robinson
•    25.04.2005 and 51,215 miles – service by S.G. Swansea
•    18.05.2015 and 51,584 miles – service by Mercedes-Benz Swansea
•    15.06.2021 and 53,127 miles – service by Warburton’s Service Station

There are many other invoices on file for repairs and maintenance over the years, and the exhaust system had been renewed shortly before the seller bought the car.

The engine into life very well and shows good oil pressure straightaway. It revs and idles as it should too and makes all the right noises and none of the wrong.

The seller hasn’t used it much other than to tootle over to Anglesey and back, which is exactly the sort of journey the SL excels at.

The engine and underbonnet area are nicely presented, and if they aren’t quite as clean as everything else then that’s merely a matter of degree – and usability, because the very last thing you want is an engine that’s been so beautifully detailed that you’re afraid to use it…

That’s not to damn with faint praise though because the inner wings and bulkhead look good with a glossy finish. The metalwork, including the panel that runs across the bulkhead, is all in good order and it’s easily clean enough for you to be able to lift the bonnet without shame in any company.

As for the underside, the finishes look like they’ve been there for many a year, which means there is the odd patch of flaking underseal and paint but far better that, surely, than a thick coat of freshly applied sealant to disguise who-knows-what…

So, while there is a little work to do, from what we can see that would be preservation rather than restoration, and there’s been no mention of structural rot or corrosion since 2011.

The last few MoTs have mentioned an oil leak and a couple of damaged ball joint boots, so you could add them to your To Do list. 
 

The SL’s MoT certificate is valid until August 2026.

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear, and it comes with the book pack, a stamped service history booklet, the factory build specification slip, and plenty of historical invoices and MoT certificates.

The description that attracted the seller’s attention five years ago gives an interesting insight into the SL’s former life.

The first owner was a “prominent Scottish businessman” and a director and major shareholder of Aberdeen FC. He bought the car from Gerard Mann Mercedes-Benz of Birmingham in April 1986 and later had it serviced in Aberdeen.

The second owner is unknown, but the previous seller speculated it may have been the same chap but registered in his personal name rather than as a company car. 

This would tie in with the service history, which stays in Aberdeen until 1988, at which point it started to be serviced in the north-east, which makes sense because the third owner, who bought it February of that year with 18,000 miles on the odometer, lived in County Durham.

She kept it until April 2004, at which time it was sold to “a wealthy industrialist and prolific classic car collector” in Swansea. He is said to have had “many vintage Bentleys, Bugattis, Rolls-Royces etc” in his collection, and while this was intended to be a daily river, a combination of poor health and a busy work life scuppered that plan, so it stayed in a Carcoon for 14 years, albeit being wheeled out regularly to have a heat cycle out through it by his curator.

As a result, it only covered around 6,000 miles in the 16 years he owned it before he passed away. 
 

The R107 Mercedes-Benz SL is a staple of the classic car world for many reasons, not least its durability and reliability. It’s also relatively cheap and easy to service and maintain – and the fact it’s so effortless elegant doesn’t harm its cause any.

And yet, despite its many attributes, it’s still very reasonably priced.

For example, we think this one, which is in an unusually good and largely original condition, will sell for somewhere between £25,000 and £30,000, which is a very cost-effective way to get behind the wheel of such a well-equipped and well-maintained German sportscar.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.