2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS Roadster

This stunning SLS has just over 9,000 miles on the odometer and a full Mercedes-Benz main dealer service history.

In the case of the SLS, the roadster is a rare instance of the soft-top version being more practical and useable than its hard-top counterpart, and mostly because gullwing doors clearly require some thinking ahead when it comes to parking bays and headroom.

The other benefit with a roadster, of course, is that there’s rather less metal separating you from whatever extraordinary noises might be emanating from the engine bay.

Frankly, if you even remotely like cars and engines, you’ll never grow weary of listening to its pyrotechnic soundtrack of demented rips, yowls, snorts and shrieks, punctuated only by a bass-line of equally bonkers barks, rumbles, booms and explosions.

We think the way it performs and sounds is rendered all the better by the fact that it is, essentially, an analogue machine and doesn’t have some vast and vulgar touch-screen lap-top bolted to the dashboard, and isn’t in the habit of telling you what to do, how to behave, or when you should clean your teeth.

It is a pure, visceral, focussed driver’s car went you want it to be…and a cultured, biddable, restrained boulevard cruiser when you don’t.

The choice is yours.

The car is finished in Obsidian Black with a black soft top roof, over a red leather interior with brushed alloy/aluminium inlays.

It’s a very good look, in our collective opinion.

It rides on a set of satin black 19-inch (front) and 20-inch (rear) multi-spoke alloy wheels with polished lips, red brake callipers, and Michelin tyres.

Key equipment includes front and rear parking assistance with a reversing camera, heated and electrically adjustable seats with neck-level heating, cruise control, dual-zone climate control, switchable driving modes, a COMAND infotainment system, a Bang & Olufsen sound system, and black AMG badging.

The car’s full specification list is long.

Very long.

Here goes.

•    4GB Music Register and an Integrated CD-DVD Changer - 6-Disc with MP3 Compatibility
•    7-inch Colour Display
•    Bluetooth Interface for Hands-Free Telephone
•    CD-Radio
•    COMAND Multimedia System
•    Media Interface
•    Remote Audio Control
•    Satellite Navigation - Hard Disk Drive HDD Map Navigation System-TMC-
•    USB-iPod Connectivity
•    Linguatronic Voice Control
•    Outside Air Temperature Gauge
•    Parktronic - Audible and Visual Parking Aid-Front
•    Parktronic - Audible and Visual Parking Aid-Rear
•    Reversing Camera
•    Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
•    19in/20in Alloy Wheels - AMG 7 Spoke Design
•    AMG Sports Exhaust System - Integrated Tailpipes
•    AMG Trim with 6.3 AMG Lettering - Painted Matt Silver on Front Wings
•    Locking Wheel Bolts
•    Retractable Fabric Roof
•    Retractable Rear Aerofoil
•    Tyre Sealant Kit
•    Windows - Electric x2
•    Headlamp Assist - Automatic Headlamp Activation
•    Headlight Cleaning System
•    Headlights - Bi-Xenon with LED Daytime Running Lights
•    High Level Third Brake Light
•    AIRSCARF - Neck Level Heating System
•    AMG Instrument Cluster with AMG Menu including Racetimer
•    AMG performance multifunction sports steering wheel with silver-coloured aluminium gearshift paddles
•    Air Conditioning
•    Automatically Dimming Rear View Mirror and Drivers Door Mirror
•    Cup Holder
•    Luxury Automatic Climate Control - Two-Zone Control - Digital Display
•    Rain Sensing Windscreen Wipers
•    Seats - AMG Sports Heated with Memories
•    Seats - AMG Sports with Lumbar Support
•    Seats - Sports with Electric Adjustment
•    Steering Column - Electrically Adjustable with Easy-Entry Function
•    Steering Wheel and Gear Shift AMG-Nappa Leather-trimmed
•    Trim - Aluminium
•    AMG Drive Unit with AMG E-Select Lever
•    AMG Speed Sensitive Sports Steering with Variable Steering Ratio
•    AMG Sports Suspension with Aluminium Double Wishbones
•    Power Assisted Steering
•    ABS - Anti-Lock Braking System
•    ASR - Acceleration Skid Control
•    Adaptive Accelerator Pedal
•    Adaptive Brake Lamps
•    Airbags - Dual Stage - Driver
•    Airbags - Dual Stage - Front Passenger
•    Airbags - Head and Sidebags - Driver and Front Passenger
•    Airbags - Head/Thorax Sidebags for Driver and Front Passenger
•    Airbags - Kneebags and Windowbags for Driver and Passenger
•    Airbags - Sidebags for Driver and Front Passenger
•    Alarm System with Immobiliser and Interior Protection
•    Automatic Child Seat Recognition Sensor
•    BAS - Brake Assist
•    ESP - Electronic Stability Programme
•    Electro-Hydraulic Braking System
•    Keyless Go
 

Pretty much the only thing separating this car from brand-newness is the date of its registration.

Everything else is conspiring to tell you that it left the production line 12 months ago, not 12 years.

The bodywork is totally straight and true, and there are no dimples, dinks or dents of any note anywhere that we could hope to spot without borrowing a microscope.

The panel gaps and shut-lines have all the precision and consistency you’d expect to find in a car that was a flagship model for both Mercedes-Benz and AMG, and the paintwork is as shiny and black as a raven’s coal scuttle.

The black fabric roof goes up and down in a mesmerizingly balletic display of choreographed engineering, seamlessly summoning and re-ordering various parts of itself from behind the seats and who-knows elsewhere.

You will look in vain for signs of kerbing on any of the wheels, and you’ll be equally disappointed in your hunt for signs of excessive wear on the tyres.

Even entirely standard stone chips and light scratches are conspicuous by their near total absence on this exceptionally well-preserved car.

The lights, lenses and badging are beyond reproach.

In case you haven’t guessed already, it’s all good.

The interior is every bit a match for its exterior counterpart in terms of quality and condition.

The red leather AMG sports seats have yet to earn so much as a meaningful crease, let alone any ingrained patina, and the colour combination with the black exterior and brushed aluminium trim lends the interior a decidedly purposeful and classy feel.

The door cards are very fine, as are the carpets and mats, which look practically as good as new.

The steering wheel is beyond reproach, as are the gear selector, dials, controls, and brushed metal inserts and trim.

In common with the rest of the car, the roof lining is wholly untroubled by the passage of time, as is the boot.

As far as we are aware, every button, knob, dial, switch, gauge and lever does what it’s supposed to do in an obedient and timely fashion.

Again, it’s all very, very good.
 

The very full engine bay is exceptionally clean, shiny, dry and tidy.

Which is unsurprising given the car’s very low mileage and pampered life.  

The centrepiece is, of course, the magnificent, hand-built V8 engine.

A round of applause must surely go to Herr Philipp Waibel, who built this particular example.

The undersides of the car, although largely hidden from sight under protective trays and covers, look to have plenty of structural integrity and we saw nothing at all to raise a frown or prompt a tut.

The car has just been serviced (Mercedes-Benz Oxford) and had a new battery fitted.
 

The car comes with a very reassuring history file featuring nothing but servicing and maintenance carried out by Mercedes-Benz main dealers.

Everything that needed doing has been done, with no concern for expense, on time and by the very best people.

Service History:

•    25/06/2014 Mercedes-Benz Belfast 1,080 miles
•    29/06/2015 Mercedes-Benz Belfast 1,280 miles
•    12/06/2017 Mercedes-Benz Belfast 2,600 miles
•    11/06/2018 Mercedes-Benz Belfast 3,670 miles
•    30/07/2019 Mercedes-Benz Wakefield 4,169 miles
•    19/02/2021 Mercedes-Benz Colchester 4,857 miles
•    21/02/2022 Mercedes-Benz Chelsea 7,476 miles
•    27/06/2023 Mercedes-Benz Southport 9,007 miles
•    24/09/2025 Mercedes-Benz Oxford 9,420 miles

The car has an MoT - with no advisories whatsoever - that’s valid until 9.2.26.

It comes with full sets of keys, a recent HPI report and a V5C. 
 

This car may be 12 years old, but you really wouldn’t know it.

And that masterpiece of an engine certainly doesn’t know it.

With just 9,000 miles under its various belts, it’s barely had a chance to warm up and clear its throat.

These cars were on every collector’s list from the day they were launched.

With just 74 of them released to the UK, they really don’t go under the hammer very often.

And of those that do, we’d be very surprised to see a better low mileage example than this absolute beauty.

It really is very special indeed.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £115,000 - £125,000.

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’.