1982 Mercedes-Benz 500SL R107

First registered on the 25th of October 1982 and supplied by a Mercedes-Benz dealer in Huddersfield, the seller bought ‘CPD 357Y’ from us four years ago - and while we rated it highly back then, we rate it even more highly now after he’s spent a small fortune making it his.

The Thistle Green bodywork has been tweaked and improved, for example, and the mechanical side has been fettled by the independent classic Mercedes-Benz specialist Roger Edwards in Amersham. 

All-in-all, he estimates he’s spent another £12,000 on bringing it up to the condition you see here, and while this was a decision clearly driven by his heart, we think the result is something very special indeed.

To quote from our previous advert: The Thistle Green (colour code 881) coachwork is in a very good condition – and just look at the door alignment; utterly mm-perfect, the way it all fits together tells you everything you need to know about Mercedes’ reputation for over-engineering its cars back in the 1970s and 80s.

And that was before the seller let a professional loose on it, asking him to tidy up the sills and wings. He even asked him to remove the bumpers to replace the strengthening bars before carefully refitting them.

New door rubber seals were fitted too.

The bumper and waistline rubber trim is all good too, as is the natty boot spoiler, lamp lenses, and badges.

The body-coloured hard-top (and Thistle Green is such a lovely colour, isn’t it?) is in great shape. It also fits well, and while taking it on and off is a two-person job it comes with a wheeled stand that not only helps keep it safe but also makes shuffling it around your garage a bit easier than it would otherwise be. 

The folding brown soft-top is in an excellent condition with vibrant stitching. It is also free of rips, tears and other damage. As you’d expect, it rises and falls as it should, fits tautly when it’s up, and tucks away neatly under the hard tonneau cover when it’s not required to give the SL its trademark clean profile. 

Those with keen eyes will have noticed that the two handles have a neat leather case from the SL Shop to keep them safe, which isn’t something we’ve seen before. #itsthedetailsisntit?

As for the 14-inch OE alloy wheels, they’re in fine shape and free of scuffs, scrapes and other kerbing damage. They’re also fitted with matching Michelin XWX tyres, all of which have good tread and plenty of life left in them.

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. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

The finished car looks even more sensational now than it did four years ago, making it the Dorian Gray of the automotive world.

As for flaws, there is a small area of delamination on the rear window of the hard-top and there's some refreshed paintwork on the offside front wing. That’s it though, and you could live with that, eh?

If you were impressed with the outside, then wait until you see the cabin: Reeking of class, the tan MB-Tex interior is utterly sublime. With only the very gentlest of creasing to the front seats and a slight softening to the outer bolster on the base of the driver’s seat, the optional rear seat is in an even better condition with only one small tear in the backrest to mar it.

As for the expansive tan palette, light brown might be wonderfully of the period but then this is a wonderfully of the period sportscar – and there’s no arguing with the fact that not only does it complement the colour of the coachwork beautifully, it’s also weathered better than anything we were wearing when this rolled off the production line.

As for the rest, the headlining in the hard-top is unsullied and taut, the switchgear and instrumentation are bright and clear, the carpets are clean and still vibrant, and the top of the dashboard and door cards are undamaged.

Factory fitted options include 440 cruise control, 461 instruments with mileage reading in English, 505 electrically adjustable mirror left hand, and 682 fire extinguisher. A more recent Sony headunit plays through Pioneer speakers.

The boot is clean and well-trimmed and lifting the (good) carpet reveals a spare alloy wheel and a rock-solid floor. 

Overall, it’s condition is an astonishing vindication of Mercedes-Benz engineering and more than four decades of careful curation; its only fault previously was saggy sunvisors, something the owner has rectified with new ones sourced from the SL Shop.

Which means there really isn’t anything for you to get your teeth into, so you’ll need to look elsewhere if you’re searching for a project to keep you busy this winter.

The car’s standard specification includes 470 anti-lock braking (ABS) and the 256 rear axle limited-slip differential (LSD), and the bulkhead, which fans of the marque will know is a notorious weakness on the model, was, we believe, checked by the SL Shop a few years ago and given a clean bill of health.

As you can see, it starts well, idles perfectly, and revs nicely with a cracking exhaust note at higher revs. It does it all with a rock-solid 3 bar of oil pressure too, which is reassuring. 

Mind you, the stamps in the book are impressive with no fewer than fourteen in all, plus one from Huddersfield Garages for the pre-delivery inspection. 

The SL Shop features in there too but then they sold it in 2017 and enthusiasts will know how fussy they are about the cars they stock. 

It was last serviced by Roger Edwards in February 2023, and the £1,290 bill included a new fuel accumulator in addition to the usual service items.

This follows new injector seals from the same firm in January 2021, followed by a cooling system flush later the same year. 

Going back a little further, August 2020 saw the SL receive almost £3,000-worth of work from them including a service, a refurbished radiator, extensive work to the braking system, and various other bits and bobs.

Motech overhauled the ignition system in December 2021 too, replacing the battery, distributor cap, rotor arm, and coil while they were under the bonnet. Receipts for all of this, and more, are online for you to inspect.

As for its cosmetics, the engine bay is grubby but there are signs of love in there like the neatly labelled HT leads and a hard-wired harness for the battery conditioner; it just needs a valet to make it look as good as it deserves to.

As for the condition of the underside, this is what an SL looks like after having professionals repair the front floors, treat any remaining rust, and then protect the whole lot with no fewer than five cans of body schwarz and four cans of cavity wax.

There is the tool kit, first aid kit, locking wheel nuts and C-tech battery charger included. The original fire extinguisher no longer with car.

Of all the things that give us confidence in a car’s curation an MoT on a historic vehicle that doesn’t need one is right up there, so the fact that this SL has an MoT that’s not only valid until June 2025 but was issued without any advisories is very reassuring. 

In fact, of the last seven certificates, six were issued without any comment whatsoever – and the one aberration was to remark that the “underside of vehicle wax coated covering some components” isn’t exactly damning, is it?

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear, and the SL comes with two keys, a number of expired MoT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years. 

The Mercedes-Benz R107 series is so popular because its svelte good looks are underpinned by better-than-average reliability and a sublime driving experience, especially when it’s a full-fat V8 like this one.

They’re tough too and while they will shrug off abuse and neglect better than almost anything in their class, as always, it’s better to buy a good ‘un in the first place if you can.

One like this. 

Diligently fettled over the years and recently tweaked to improve it still further, the fact the hammer is likely to fall somewhere between £18,000 and £23,000 seems almost criminal to us.

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 Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.