Description
Mercedes-Benz 450 SL | 1979
Highlights:
– 4.5-litre V8 engine, petrol, automatic transmission
– R107-generation SL in 450 SL specification
– Supplied with both a factory hardtop and a folding soft top
– Imported from California in 2018
– 77.000 miles
The seller offers for sale this 1979 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL, powered by a 4,520 cc V8 petrol engine, paired with an automatic transmission. Finished in red, the car is the cabriolet bodystyle of the R107 SL and comes with both roof options: the folding soft top and the removable factory hardtop, which together give the car genuine year-round usability. The seller notes some blemishes on the bonnet, which are shown in the accompanying photographs, and describes the remainder of the body in good order. The car was imported from California in 2018 and has been in United Kingdom ownership since.
A California car brings its own appeal to an R107. The model spent much of its production life as the default American luxury sports car, and cars that spent their early decades in the drier western states are widely sought after by enthusiasts of the model. The 450 SL was the range-topping V8 specification offered in that market, and the combination of a hardtop and soft top from new, both retained with the car, is exactly what buyers of the model look for.
The R107 arrived in 1971 as the successor to the W113 Pagoda, and it went on to become the longest-running SL in the model’s history, remaining in production until 1989. Some 237,287 examples were built across eighteen years, a figure that speaks to how completely the car defined its class. The styling was developed under Friedrich Geiger with input from Bruno Sacco, and it moved the SL away from the delicacy of the Pagoda towards something broader-shouldered and more substantial. Ribbed tail lights designed to shed dirt, a heavily reinforced windscreen frame and a body engineered around new American impact standards made it one of the most rigorously developed convertibles of its day. Its coupé sibling, the SLC, carried the family into rallying and took a memorable one-two at the 1979 Bandama Rally in the Ivory Coast.
The 4.5-litre M117 V8 is the heart of the appeal. It is an unstressed, softly tuned engine that delivers its torque low down and pulls the car along with an easy, wafting gait that suits the SL’s character precisely. Combined with the automatic transmission, power steering and the long-travel suspension, the result is a car built for covering distance with the roof down rather than chasing lap times. The R107 has spent the last decade climbing steadily in collector estimation, and V8 cars with both tops, a warm-climate history and an honest presentation are increasingly the ones that attract serious interest.
Condition of the bodywork & paint
4 — Very Good. Clean with minimal wear; might need minor replacements for small missing or broken parts.
Condition of the interior
4 — Very Good. Clean with minimal wear; might need minor replacements for small missing or broken parts.
Technical condition
4 — Very Good. Mechanically solid, with potential for minor servicing.
Overall condition
4 — Very Good. Displays only minimal wear and can hit the road any time.
This item is sold on an as-is basis. The condition of this item is the opinion of the seller and may differ from your own opinion. Photos and descriptions of the listing are for information purposes only.
