Description
This is a very rare and interesting car, a 1983 Mercedes-Benz 280SL Manual, finished in the most desirable Lapis Blue with Full Beige Leather Interior. She has covered 105k Miles from new with a nice History! What is interesting is that it was specified from new with the 5-Speed Manual ZF Gearbox instead of the normal Automatic option, in addition to factory Air Conditioning! This changes the whole character of the car, making it far more nimble than you would think. The gearbox is a pleasure to use also and makes you wonder why they are so rare! Our car presents very well indeed and is much nicer than the price suggests!
In 1971 Mercedes-Benz launched a new range of convertible sports cars to replace the much loved Pagoda. Longer and wider than its predecessor the new W107 chassis featured front and rear crumple zones to meet the latest crash protection standards and was, inevitably, heavier. Like its forebears the newcomer was more sports-tourer than outright sports car and came equipped with all-independent suspension. At first fitted with 3. 5 and 4. 5 litre V8 engines Mercedes nimbly responded to the 1973 oil crisis by introducing a 2. 8 litre model in October 1974. Its straight six twin-cam engine with Bosch electronic fuel injection produced 185 horsepower at 5800 rpm, providing a very respectable top speed of 118 mph. When fitted with a Manual 5 speed gearbox 0–60 mph was reached in around 9. 5 seconds, with the car being restrained by four wheel hydraulic disc brakes. Badged as the 280SL the model offered a delightful combination of styling, comfort, economy, and relative ease of maintenance when compared to its more complicated V8 siblings, and some 25, 500 units were produced until it was replaced in 1985, although the Manual Option was rarely taken up.
Our car was sold new on the 23rd May 1983 and was specified in Lapis Blue with the Optional Full Beige Leather Interior. She has some desirable options such as Air Conditioning, Electric Windows, Dark Blue Soft Top, Mexican Hat Alloys and Colour Coded Hard top. We has been fitted with the Rear Seats also. We have a nearly full history from new, literally hundreds of invoices and a service book, and plenty of old MOT''s. The paintwork is Very Nice and the interior likewise, she presents like a 50k Mile car and drives like one also. The last MOT ran out in 2024 but had no advisories, and she has done minimal mileage since then. The Manual gearbox is incredibly rare and desirable, and the colour and condition of this car make it stand out from the crowd, oh, and also the price!
