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PRINCIPLE FACTS

A superb example of a mid-life facelift SL500 that's been through our workshops, bringing an already great R129 up to our exacting standards. The car was supplied new in August 1996 with a host of options that made for a beautiful, safe and speedy GT, in a classic contrasting colour combination of deep Azurite Blue paint over striking beige leather.

Scarcely believable, for such a usable machine, this SL500's former keepers have only managed to cover 32, 871 miles. During those precious few miles, the car's wanted for nothing, having seen servicing carried out by Mercedes-Benz essentially every other year from new. There are a few older gaps in the history but these are rendered moot by our thorough and recent refresh, to the tune of £10k.

OVERVIEW & EQUIPMENT

In addition to this R129's already generous standard equipment, the first owner specified a few extra gems, namely electric and heated mirrors and front seats, plus ESP (electronic stability program). The attractive eight-hole alloys were also specified and still look superb, thanks to our recent refurbishment. The first owner specified a beautifully matching dark blue material for the soft top, which has been recently replaced with a new Mohair hood that looks fantastic.

Rounding out the options and equipment are the headlamp wash/ wipe, rear seats, front & rear speakers - fed by a Blaupunkt Montreal cassette deck, and an automatically dipping rear-view mirror.

CONDITION SYNOPSIS

Having prepared this car for sale, we've been through it from grille to boot and it's now a stunning example that wants for nothing. The paintwork looks deep enough to swim in, especially considering its colour, and the chrome grille and wheels gleam in the sun. Both flanks of this SL are as straight as a plumb line without any notable imperfections to either the steel or lower plastics all round.

The cabin exudes the class and comfort you'd associate with this generation of SL. There are no stains, rips or cracks anywhere to break the luxury car aesthetic. The headlining is superb as are the carpets and door cards. This really is an SL to be just as proud of with the roof down. The under-bonnet arena is exactly the same, with detailed plastics covering clean and dry components everywhere you care to look.

HISTORY FILE

Aside from the service booklet stamps we've discussed already, there's not a vast number of invoices, but what's in the booklet is reassuring. All the service stamps seen are from Mercedes-Benz with M-B Worcester the most recent dealers to care for this car. Its technicians changed the coolant and brake fluid in 2005, continuing to care for the car until 2021.

Outside the dealer network, the exhaust was allowed to breathe (and sing) a little better, thanks to Longlife properly deleting the back boxes in 2022. Which brings things up-to-date with our aforementioned refresh in 2023.

This really was a detailed and extensive going-over, with a whole host of new parts including; under-bonnet insulation, a new mohair soft top and headlining, gearbox gasket, suspension bushes, rocker gaskets, sealing rings, as well as all fluids changed throughout the driveline. We finished it all off with an underside clean and fresh wax coating to protect the underside for years to come.

SLSHOP SUMMARY

The condition of this SL500 is remarkable, it was already an excellent example when it came to us, we've simply raised the bar even further. There's now nothing to stop you enjoying this most useable of SLs. We've brought the servicing bang up to date, the Continental Premium Contact 2 tyres are well in date (2021 fronts, 2016 rears) and everything that needed refreshing or replacing has been. All you have to do is turn the key and enjoy.