1972 Mercedes-Benz 350SL (R107)

Some cars just get better looking with age and the R107 Series Mercedes-Benz SL is definitely amongst them. Overshadowed for a long time by its graceful 'Pagoda' predecessor, it's now becoming better appreciated for what it is - a beautifully built sports roadster that is totally dependable. To this day, no car door closes with a more reassuring 'thunk' than a Mercedes SL and everything about the car suggests solid engineering. Fast, comfortable and discreetly understated, the SL has a matchless ability to munch up the miles for year after year without ever seeming to falter. No wonder it stayed in production, fundamentally unaltered, from 1971 until 1989 - the longest production run of any Mercedes car to date. Mercedes offered a number of engine choices over the years, however the early cars were fitted with the 3.5-litre, M116.980, SOHC V8 featuring Bosch D-Jetronic fuel-injection and produced, when new, 197bhp and 210ft/lbs of torque

Very rare in original condition, this early production, low ownership R107 350SL has only covered 33,542 miles from new having spent a well documented 22 years professionally stored and cared for by Storacar in Buckinghamshire. The original Mercedes-Benz service book shows that it was registered to its first Mayfair owner in early 1972 and contains seven stamps through to 2015, supporting the very low indicated mileage. It's finished in Arctic White with black leather trim, rare in period as most cars were specified with cloth or MB-Tex. The correspondence in the history file suggests that the SL was used by the first owner and his wife through to 1991 (first and second owners) when it was sold to its third owner who put it into storage where it remained until purchased by our vendor in 2015 (only 193 miles were covered in 22 years of storage).

It's supplied with a factory hardtop and a fascinating history file containing the service records, a fresh MOT valid until April 2025, and a copy of Classic Mercedes Magazine in 2015 with a feature comparing this early car to a final production car from 1989.