Highlights 

• A solid looking USA import in left hand drive – suitable for a variety of geographies 
• A one UK keeper car having been enthusiast owned for the last five years 
• In a very good overall condition with just a few minor items possibly needing attention 

The Appeal 

The History and Paperwork 

• This SL was manufactured in January 1972 
• This makes it an unusually early model with production only starting in mid-1971 
• The car is a factory left hand drive model and was destined for the US market 
• It appears that the SL was exported to the UK in 2017 by a specialist company 
• The current owner then acquired the SL in 2019 to become the first UK keeper 
• Due to other projects the SL has hardly been used since 
• The current owner ha the main body resprayed upon acquisition 
• The hard top remains in its original paint, however 
• The current owner has engaged a local garage to cure a minor rough running symptom 
• This is thought to be electrical and at the time of writing remains unresolved 
• The current V5 is present in the name of the owner 
• This classifies the SL as an Historic Vehicle 
• As such the Mercedes is MOT exempt and zero rated for VED in the UK 
• A Mercedes-Benz letter of origin is present 
• A copy of the Ohio Certificate of Title is also included 
• The remained of the paperwork consists of invoices for parts sourced and work undertaken 

The Condition 

• This example is presented in Mittelblau (Medium Blue - 350) 
• The ribbed panels at sill level are finished in a darker blue 
• The current owner had the car’s body resprayed on his acquisition 
• The hard top remains in its original paint, however 
• The two-tone mid-blue / dark-blue arrangement is thought to be an original specification 
• The owner reports that the original paint was in this configuration when he bought it 
• Condition of both paintwork and bodywork looks to be very good for the age of car 
• There is a very minor dent on the offside rear of the hard top 
• This is accompanied by a few light scratches (photographed for your review) 
• Chromed wheel arch embellishments are fitted 
• The so called “Mexican Hat” alloys are finished in grey and are in a good, overall condition 
• Being an American specification car the sealed beam, twin circular headlight units are fitted 
• These have been converted to the correct right hand drive dipping configuration 
• A matching set of Maxxis tyres are fitted and date stamped from 2020 
• We were unable to remove the hard top during our visit due to a lack of helpers 
• The owner reports the soft top to be original and with a small area of rodent damage to one corner 
• As such these have essentially covered almost no miles to date 
• The interior looks to be in an equally good order for the age of car 
• The originality in here is very good, too 
• The upholstery is courtesy of the mid blue MB-Tex 
• This is arranged into perforated and vertical padded box pleats 
• The condition of the seats is generally good 
• Only the lower hinge cover of the passenger seat is noted as missing 
• The carpets are original looking and in the familiar blue and black flecked Berber style 
• Behind the seats is a carpeted luggage platform fitted with a pair of period Pioneer speakers 
• The dashboard is finished with blue MB-Tex dress deformable foam top and bottom rolls 
• A strip of light wood veneer dissects these 
• An original, four spoked Mercedes steering wheel is fitted 
• The centre console is faced with wood veneer 
• This houses a 4 x 40w Sony head unit and assorted switch gear 
• The good-sized boot is finished with a carpet mat 
• The spare wheel, jack and tools were all present and correct 

The Mechanics 

• This early 450SL is fitted with the well proven M117 V8 engine 
• This is a unit of 4520cc capacity and an original output of 220 bhp SAE 
• This is mated to a three-speed W3B automatic transmission 
• This transferred power to the rear wheels 
• In these earlier cars the Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection was fitted 
• The under-bonnet presentation looks entirely original 
• The inner panels of the engine bay look surprisingly fresh and straight 
• A number of new and upgraded components were noted 
• Such as the serpentine belts and aftermarket fuel pressure regulator 
• What can be seen of the underside of the car looks to be rust free 
• The car is reported to be accident free with no dents or deformations reported 

BEFORE YOU BUY