The well-loved Mercedes-Benz SL has been in production since 1954 and is still on sale today. The R129 was introduced in 1989 and production ran until 2001, replacing the R107 and being replaced by the R230 in 2002. The R129 was offered as a two-door roadster with an electric fabric roof as well as a removable hard top. The R129 was developed on the shortened floorpan of the W124 and came runner up in the 1989 European car of the year award. 

The vast array of engine choices won favour among the buying public and the model presented for this auction had the 3.0L inline 6 offering, producing 228bhp from its 24 valve, DOHC M104 spec power plant. The R129 was at the height of the media attention in 1991 mainly because Princess Diana sold her Jag XJS for one, a car to tempt Royalty is surely one that can be held in high esteem for us mere mortals then. 

The Mercedes has a family connection for the current owner being the owner’s father’s car passed down to him. The owner’s family had a selection of Mercedes during their childhood, so they are quite familiar with the brand. This car has been kept under cover in the owner’s warehouse and as such has not been subject to as much of the outside elements as one that has been kept outside.

The car has been mainly used for short trips to the pub in the sunny weather with the roof down and the odd occasional trip to the coast. The decision has been made to sell the car due to the lack of use it receives and the space it takes up in the warehouse now being needed for other uses.

The car comes with the original owner’s manual and leather wallet, the radio instruction manual and the original maintenance booklet with stamps dating back to the initial registration in 1992. There is also a stack of old MOT certificates and tax discs which are a retro novelty. There are also some invoices of recent work such as the overhaul to the brakes all round which was completed last year. 

The car has had diagnostic work to find the cause for some rough running, which turned out to be the distributor cap, rotor arm and plugs and lead, a nice easy fix. The rest has just been regular maintenance throughout the current owner’s time, mostly MOT certificates as this car has mostly been kept under cover in the owner’s warehouse. 

The cabin of the Mercedes is very typical of the brands ethos, being supremely luxurious and functional at the same time. The beige leather seats look like they’d be more at home in your front room rather than a sporty GT convertible as they are very comfortable but supportive. There is a minor rip in the driver’s side bolster as shown but the rest of the leather on the front and rear seats is in good condition. 

The dash is not cracked, faded or damaged in any way and the wood veneer on the doors and centre console is free from damage and looking just as good as when it left the factory 30 years ago. All electrics work in the interior of the car and the steering wheel and gear selector, two high traffic touch points, are both free from fraying and damage. 

The lining of both the hard top roof and convertible top are both in good condition and match the carpet colour. Speaking of the carpet, that has been protected by some over mats and as such is in great condition, with no rips, tears, fading or staining. 

There is some of the interior that has started to come away from the sound proofing underlay, this however is not likely to be damage to the material rather than a degradation of the adhesive glue used in manufacturing processes. A short time at the auto upholsters should have the interior looking brand spanking new once more. 

The outside of the car is very presentable, the paintwork is in good condition with only some minor areas of light scuffing or from stone chips, down on the front passenger side of the lower bumper is one area as can be seen in the photo gallery. There is a small section of bubbling just on the hard top again as shown in the gallery and the boot lid has some heat blistering from a particularly hot summers day when the car was out at the pub. Other than that, the car’s exterior is in great condition. The lights all work around the car and the lenses are not cracked, faded or misting up. 

The wheels have some very minor lacquer peeling around the centres and very edges, but they generally look very presentable. The tyres too have lots of tread on them and aren’t cracked, don’t have any nicks or damage to the sidewalls. 

The soft top is in good condition also with the plastic windows not scuffed or impairing visibility at all, there is however a small rip on the rear window as shown in the gallery. The rest of the fabric roof is in good condition however so a localised repair or replacement of the rear screen would be the only thing needed to bring it back up to pristine spec. 

The hard top is removable of course and the sale of the vehicle will come with the factory supplied hard top carrier as shown in the gallery. This is quite the display piece and looks quite impressive once on the ground. The folding mechanism and electrical operation is all working as intended and the hard top roof is very easy to remove, and the soft top is a breeze to put up at the press of a button. 

The car’s 2960cc powerplant is sounding strong with no unwanted noise on tick over or under load. The car also sounded good when manoeuvring around the parking lot we photographed in with no suspension noises or driveshaft knocking. The owner assures us it drives like a dream, and we’re inclined to believe it. 

Looking over the engine bay there is no signs of any fluid leaks or split hoses, the electrical wires in sight are all adequately insulated as they would have been from factory. The components in the engine bay looked to be all healthy and working as intended with no signs of damage or non-functionality. 

Looking underneath the car the body seems straight and there are no signs of anything other than the odd spot of surface corrosion. Mercedes really did build these cars to last in the 90s and all components that we could see underneath the car were seemingly in good condition. The gearbox was smooth and selected drive with no issue. 

Modern classics such as this Mercedes have long been an attractive purchase and with Mercedes having a strong following and resale value this car is set to have a bright future. 

Convertible Mercedes have again been amongst the most popular from the brand and this is a fine example of a 300 SL that has been well taken care of and kept in dry conditions during its time with the current owner. With a small amount of time and money spent on this car, whoever buys it is going to have an absolute gem that will continue to appreciate into the future.