1988 Mercedes-Benz 300SL (R107)

Launched in 1985, the 300SL was the ultimate incarnation of the updated R107 and was available for only four years, with just 13,443 ever built globally, making them a rarity in right-hand drive. It was powered by a 2,962cc straight-six engine that produced 185bhp at 5,700rpm and 188lb/ft of torque at 4,400rpm, sufficient output to endow this open-topped Mercedes with rapid acceleration and a top speed of 130mph. The matching hardtop kept the driver warm on winter days, and subsequently very few UK-supplied R107s escaped the long term effects of our salted roads and, as a comfortable daily driver, many surviving cars have been patched, repainted and display high mileages.

For some, the cars were kept for high days and holidays, with the hardtops tucked safely in the corner of the garage. Such is the story with this car, one of the most original examples we have ever seen. Our vendor, the owner of a garden centre in West Wales, was visiting a Jaguar dealer to test drive a Jaguar XJ-S Convertible with his late wife and parked alongside was this Signal Red 300SL with less than 12,000 miles on the clock at the time.

It was first registered on 1st August 1988 to a Mr Davies of Mid Glamorgan, and supplied by Continental Cars Ltd of Cardiff. A year later it was registered to a Mr Smith of Penarth, Cardiff, and less than a year after that, it was part-exchanged and thus ended up at Paramount Jaguar of Cardiff where it was bought by our vendor and registered in his late wife's name on 2nd September 1990. An accompanying signed letter cites an error by the DVLA when the first owner removed a cherished plate that an additional keeper was added. The car therefore has had three owners, including our vendor, since 1990.

Kept busy with his garden centre enterprise, the Mercedes was only used on sunny days and for continental touring to the South of France, our vendor proudly remembers parking the car outside the Casino de Monte Carlo in Monaco on one such trip. In 2019, the renowned SL Shop in Stratford-Upon-Avon was commissioned for a full service and certificated bulkhead works for a total cost of c.£13,500 with just 60-odd miles covered since.

This delightful example of the much loved R107 Series is presented to auction as one of the most original examples we have seen, with an odometer reading of a shade under 36,000 miles, a fresh service and its MOT Certificate. The detailed history file includes the stamped service book, previous MOTs, its V5C and the aforementioned SL Shop receipts and bulkhead certificate.