1987 Mercedes-Benz 300SL – Auction Car of the Week
October 2, 2022
When you hear words like ‘time warp’ or ‘completely original’ in relation to a classic car, it’s very easy to crank up the cynicism and assume it’s the work of optimism. Or is it? Take this frankly astonishing 1987 Mercedes-Benz 300SL for example. With one owner for the bulk of its life, a mere 21,558 miles on the clock, and a life of caring and fastidious upkeep behind it, it really is time warp and it is the very definition of completely original. We’d go so far as to say that other than museum exhibits, there can’t possibly be another one this original. And don’t think that originality comes from decades of being sat idle. It’s not. That low mileage has been clocked up in tiny increments over the years. As such, it runs like a dream. It’s not a brittle, dried-up, fragile machine that needs work. It’s ready to go. And it’s about as close to 1987 as you can get. Even down to the tape deck, so dust off your Human League cassette.
View the auction listing for this 1987 Mercedes-Benz 300SL here
This 1987 Mercedes-Benz 300SL represents the finest of its kind, there’s no doubt. But not just in terms of condition. You see, the R107 generation SL was an important car, one that had massive boots to fill; those of the legendary SL ‘Pagoda’. The R107 did it though, and enjoyed a long production run before being replaced by the R129 in the late ’80s. The R107 was the perfect successor to the ‘Pagoda’. It has the same robust, yet somehow delicate look, it was incredibly well made and it was an utter joy to drive. It’s one of those cars that have managed to be desirable from the first one built to the last.
In terms of the drive, this 1987 example is fitted with the best engine, too. Yes, people with heavy-knit jumpers and jackets from the Mercedes-Benz club will tell you the V8 is the one to have, but they’re wrong. The straight-six is the winner here. The V8 throbs and moves, which is fine in a muscle car. In a sleek open-top cruiser, you want refinement and smoothness. That’s what the 2,962cc straight-six fitted here offers, especially when combined with that slick automatic transmission. You don’t don’t want a rip-snorting, noisy V8. It’s wrong in such a car. And besides, the six is no slouch, so you can still have some fun.
There is something truly fascinating about a car like this. By which we mean the manner in which it has survived. It’s often the case that these low mile survivors exist because they have been hidden away, idle, under a sheet for decades. That’s not the case here, as over twenty past MOT sheets go to prove. It’s been used, but sparingly. It’s never been deliberately driven in the rain, it’s been kept in a warm, dry garage, and from what we can gather it’s never been out in winter. Hence the incredibly clean underside. It’s been enjoyed, it’s been loved, but in small, regular bursts. And that’s good. Cars that have been idle for an age are a headache. Seals dry up, bits seize up, rubber perishes, plastic goes brittle. Cars are machines and they need to be used, they need to circulate their systems. That’s why this car is special. It’s done fewer than 25,000, yes, but you could hop in it and drive to the south of France tomorrow without concern.
If you’ve always wanted a Mercedes-Benz 300SL, this has to be the one. This is as close as you can get to a new one without needing to invent time travel. It comes with stacks of history, it comes with the requisite hard top, the trim is original and exceptional, as is the paint. There’s the odd small ‘love mark’ here and there, but that’s the trade off – it’s a car that has been enjoyed, so it has some signs of life. But signs of life are better than something that has been over-restored. Yes indeed, whoever buys this 1987 Mercedes-Benz 300SL is going to be very happy. It’s a truly remarkable find, but hey, that’s what we do here at Car & Classic.
