1980 Mercedes-Benz 350SL

This Mercedes-Benz 350SL is finished in the wonderfully of-the-period colour of Inca Gold – and because it’s spent the past three years being restored, it’s still wonderfully vibrant and fresh.

And, after 15-odd years in storage, the Mercedes was wheeled out and treated to The Full Monty: The bodywork was taken back to bare metal before having any rust professionally eradicated. New metalwork where it was needed too including new floors and good secondhand front. New sills too, before being refinished in the same Mercedes colour the factory out on back in 1980.  

The wheels were refurbished too, and the mechanicals were gone through with a fine toothcomb. The latter included new brake calipers, discs and pads plus an overhaul of the ignition and fuel injection systems and a new alternator.

The seats were reupholstered too, new carpets were laid down, and a modern-but-retro-looking Bluetooth head unit and matching speakers were installed.

As you’d expect given the scope and scale of the investment, it holds a new and advisory-free MoT certificate. The unusual registration number of ‘LSD 68W’ will also stay with the car. 
 

The Ikonengold, or Inca Gold, (paint code 419) is the same colour it left the factory with, just fresher, and brighter, and more vibrant. They’ve done a nice job of it, although the condition of the panels it was applied to undoubtably helped.

The chromework is pretty good too, with nothing more troublesome than the usual light tarnishing that’s to be expected on cars of the period. The iconic radiator grille is in fine fettle too, with good brightwork and straight slats.

The 14-inch alloy wheels have been refurbished, and they present very well with no scuffs, dinks, or other kerbing damage; a new set of wheelnuts would finish the job off nicely.

The tyres are Continental Contact on the rear axle and Nankang Econex on the front. All have decent tread left on them.

Not included in the sale but potentially available by separate negotiation is a dark blue hard top. However, this is located in Newcastle, so the buyer will need to also arrange collection. 

Regards the soft top, it is free of rips, tears, and other damage, it also rises and falls easily, enabling you to take advantage of even the briefest burst of sunshine.

While there is the odd small scuff, and the side windows have small splits in them, it’s very usable still.

As for the rest of the SL’s flaws, there’s a small bubble underneath the ‘350SL’ badge on the boot, one of the trailing edge of the offside rear wing, and another on the fuel filler flap.

The windscreen is cracked, the brown leather trim on the body-coloured roof cover is worn, the rubber on the nearside front bumper has split and it is scuffed on the offside, the paint has cracked on the nearside edge of the bonnet, the nearside bottom corner of the windscreen trim is missing, the offside headlamp glass is duller than its opposite number, the nearside indicator lamp is chipped, and the offside front foglamp sits a bit lower than the one on the nearside.
 

To our mind nothing screams 1960s and 1970s Mercedes like a chocolate brown leather interior. (That’s a good thing, in case you were wondering; have you seen what Porsche was doing at the time?)

Of course, being a R107, it’s survived incredibly well with firm and springy seats that the seller had professionally recovered. Thus fettled, they’ll probably last another 45 years before they need anything more than the occasional feed.  

In lieu of rear seats you get a large and useful luggage platform. Used in conjunction with the equally impressively sized boot you could trundle around Europe for weeks at a time without having to compromise your sartorial standards one jot.

There’s wood in there too, although it’s notable more for its durability than depth of shine. But “they’re all like that sir” and the panels are in better shape than most.

The door cards and rear side panels are as impressive as everything else. There are some scuffs at the bottom of the offside door card where lazy drivers have pushed the door open with their feet, but you can’t blame the seller for this as he’s only driven it a couple of hundred miles since it was finished.

The tobacco-coloured carpets are pretty good too with only the odd small stain, and the only thing you might like to take a look at in the cabin is the trim piece around the handbrake, which is very slightly damaged. This is a common problem though, so you may decide you can live with it.

A suitable discreet and modest Blaupunkt Milano headunit offers period style alongside Bluetooth connectivity. It’s a clever solution to the thorny problem of what stereo to fit in your classic, and it plays through recent Kenwood speakers that are fitted in the doors.

The boot is nicely trimmed apart from a dark stain in the middle of the main carpet. Lifting that up reveals a few spare parts but no spare wheel. 
 

As you can see, the 3.5-litre V8 fires into life at the turn of the key and settles into a steady idle. The oil pressure builds nicely in line with the engine revs – and those engine revs create an impressive exhaust note.

The engine bay is being offered in a largely untouched condition, which leaves the new owner free to take the car in whatever direction they fancy, from daily driver all the way through to show winner.

One nice touch is what looks like the original chassis plate on the slam panel, and we spotted the new alternator and evidence of recent service work, including to the ignition system.

There is some rust in the engine bay, as well as on the sills. The underside has been undersealed, but in parts this is coming away to reveal surface corrosion underneath, so the car would now benefit from a rust proofing wax or fresh underseal. 
 

The SL’s MoT certificate, which is valid until August 2026, was issued with no advisories.

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear, and the SL comes with two keys.

Paperwork is otherwise sparse and limited to a V5 registration document and an expired MoT certificate.

The seller intended to keep his 350SL for the long haul, which is why he invested around £20,000 during the three years he’s owned it.

But a move to Spain scuppered that because the combination of right-hand drive and post-Brexit rules mean it simply isn’t viable for him to take it out there with him.  

Still, his loss could be your gain because few classic sportscars are more enjoyable and easy to live with than a well-fettled 350SL.

Sure, this one has a few bits and bobs to sort out but our estimate of between £12,000 and £16,000 reflects this - and represents only a fraction of what it owes him; as we’re fond of saying, the best classic cars are usually the ones someone else has done the heavy lifting on…

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