The SL looks really good as you walk up to it, and squatting down to peer along the sides reveals a distinct absence of the sort of ripples and dinks that betray a careless owner, either now or previously.
The panel alignment is still as it should be too, and given the R107 was built up to a quality rather than down to a price, that also means peerless shutlines.
The Nautic Blue colour suits the R107’s lines and mission statement to perfection being a suitably regal colour for what would have been a very expensive car when it was new; it’s an inexact science, of course, but you’d have had to find the equivalent of a six-figure sum back then, so you’d be wary of getting it wrong.
But the first owner of this one got it spot-on because it’s a glorious colour, interesting without be gaudy, and timeless rather than fashionable. It’s in great shape too and has been carefully touched-up in a few places over the years, something that’s usually a sign of a meticulous owner.
The hard-top is finished in the same colour as the rest of the metalwork, and the paintwork on it too is in a fine condition. It also fits well, and the combination of good paintwork, proper glass windows, and an excellent fit ensures the SL looks every bit as luxurious and sporty when it’s fitted as it does with the soft-top lowered.
And, used in conjunction with the matching blue soft-top, the roof options available to its owner make the convertible SL a true all-weather, all-season sportscar that is as comfortable in the Swiss Alps in winter as it is wafting along the French Riviera in the August heat.
The soft-top fits very well and is nice and taut when it is raised. It is also free of damage and has good stitching, tucking away neatly under a solid Nautic Blue cover when it isn’t needed. However, there are a few rust marks and some mildew on it we can see the new owner will want to take care of.
The chromework provides the perfect foil for the discreet coachwork. It is in a pretty good condition too, and the lamp lenses are still bright and free of cracks. The badges are also in good shape and the boot spoiler is free of sun-damage; this is a car whose owner could hold their head up in any company.
The 15-inch alloy wheels are free of scuffs, scrapes and other parking damage, and they’re shod with matching 205/55R15 Farroad tyres, which show good tread.
As for flaws, apart from the usual stonechips every car collects along the way, our eagle-eyed assessor identified the following: surface corrosion to the inner wings and wheelarches; some rust bubbles to the bottom of the nearside rear wing behind passenger door; a few smaller bubbles to the hard-top as well as some corrosion along the lower edges; and rust to the tops of both rear wings and the bottom of the offside front wing.
Less urgent cosmetic problems include various light scratches and swirl marks across the car. We also note touched-up paint along the tops of both front wings and the flanks, a few chips to the edges of both doors and the edge of the boot lid, a mark/chip to the driver’s door just below the handle, scuffs to both corners of the front bumper’s plastic trim, and light scratches to the nearside rear wing.
The windscreen also has a crack in the lower nearside corner, and the hole where the aerial used to be is plugged with a rubber grommet.
